


Masks of Glass

by the_madame21



Series: Shattered Glass [1]
Category: Diabolik Lovers
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Arranged Marriage, Character Death, F/M, Like heavy fucking pining, Mentions of Sex, Pining, but its a character no one likes anyway lol, don't wanna give too much away in the tags, that's a given though it's dl of course there's abuse, the boys as kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-10-04 22:29:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 54,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10291643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_madame21/pseuds/the_madame21
Summary: She would always say that they were one in the same. Indeed, it was no secret that their existence was solely for Shu's benefit. Both raised with the utmost rigor and strictness, they excelled in every area, perfecting their skills in order to better serve the next heir. They knew their place; and Reiji knew from the very beginning that his would never be by her side.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is your warning: Diabolik Lovers is not for the faint of heart. Don't like, don't fucking read.

Reina wasn't quite sure what she had been expecting when the doors of the mansion opened, but she certainly wasn't expecting a human girl.

"Oh. Hello. Um…this is still the Sakamaki Manor, isn't it?"

The blonde girl nodded slowly, "Yes, who are you?"

"You do not have the privilege of opening the doors, _human."_ Reina heard Reiji's voice loud and clear as he opened the door completely.

His eyes went wide as he realized who it was, his lips curling into a smile.

"Reina."

Yui practically went into shock. She had never seen Reiji smile in such a way.

The elegant woman smiled back kindly. "Reiji."

He took her hand into his own, kissing it in gentlemanly fashion.

"You were always so proper."

"It's my manner."

Yui was completely in awe of the young woman. She was beautiful, with her light brown hair that appeared like a burned golden shade. She kept it up in a neat and classic bun, allowing a few stray strands to frame her face. As Reina smiled, Yui noticed that she too, must be a vampire. But one thing was certain; she had never seen Reiji so pleased.

"Reiji-san," Yui hesitated, "Is she…"

Reiji raised his eyebrow, already guessing what the human was going to say. "Don't be an idiot." He spat.

"Reina."

Yui knew that voice belonged to Shu, but it sounded different…it wasn't as dragged out as it usually was. Yui watched as the female vampire turned her attention from Reiji to the vampire Yui had chosen to suck her blood. Reina let go of her luggage.

"Shu." she said, her face breaking into a smile. Then she did something Yui hadn't been expecting. The young woman ran straight into his arms, embracing him. Which, in Shu-like fashion, he didn't return.

"I missed you so much."

"Then you wouldn't have left in the first place." He muttered monotonously.

Something stung Yui's heart, just then, though she didn't know why. She knew she was just food but…the way this pretty woman hugged Shu was unsettling.

Reina pulled away from Shu, looking at him as though he were a child. "Are you going to stay mad at me forever?"

"Ahh…I thought I smelled something delicious." Laito came up behind her, taking her hair into his fingers and sniffing it.

Reina giggled. "Long time, Laito."

"How was Europe? You must be so _cultured_ now."

Crinkles formed around her eyes as she smiled, "Yes, Laito. Incredibly so."

"I do hope you managed to exercise your French while abroad." Reiji added strictly.

"Oui, bien sur." She sang out, providing evidence for the vampire.

Reina felt someone tugging at her shirt, and so she turned around.

"Did you bring back my present?"

"Kanato!" She smiled cheerfully, reaching into her coat pocket and pulling out a little box, "Of course I did. How was Teddy?"

"He missed you too."

Yui blinked in complete and utter confusion. Kanato didn't let anyone talk to Teddy. How was it that this woman was charming every single one of the Sakamaki brothers?

"REINA!" Ayato yelled from the top of the stairs, and jumped straight down to the first floor, running up to her and picking her up, spinning her thin frame around in his arms. "Yours Truly missed you most!"

"Put her _down_ Ayato." Shu said, annoyed.

Reina only laughed. "It's so good to see you all again," she paused, "But…who is she?" She pointed at Yui.

Yui stiffened.

"Food," Reiji explained, pushing up his glasses, "What else would she be?"

"Reiji!" she scolded, making her way to Yui. "Poor thing must be frightened to death."

Laito laughed. "Little Bitch can handle herself."

Reina's eyes went wide. "Really, Laito?"

He winked at her.

Reina turned her attention back to Yui, sticking her hand out. "Hello, I'm Reina. I'm so sorry you've been stuck with these troublesome brothers for so long."

Yui took her hand and shook it, "It's not so bad…" she tried, "Nice to meet you. I'm Yui."

Reina smiled kindly. "I get the feeling we'll be good friends. If you don't mind me sucking your blood too I mean." She laughed happily. The boys snickered.

"She tastes really good," Kanato said dreamily, then, turning to Yui, "You should let Miss Reina taste you."

Yui hesitated. Reina looked at her with sympathetic eyes. "My bite doesn't hurt. Promise."

Yui nodded slowly.

Reina took Yui's wrist and brought it to her mouth. Yui flinched momentarily, but soon relaxed. The bite wasn't painless, but it didn't hurt as much as the brothers' bites did. Reina pulled away after two short gulps.

"How fascinating," her eyes seemed to be sparkling, "Reiji have you-"

"We can discuss this later."

Reina nodded and Yui wondered what was meant by that.

Yui looked around the room. She had never seen the brothers in such a good mood before. Except, where was Shu? Was there something between him and this woman? Her heart plunged at the thought, but she tried to shake the feeling away.

"Where's Shu-san?" she questioned.

Reina scoffed and shook her head. "I'll go find him."

"We'll have the belongings handle your luggage." Reiji assured her.

She thanked him and made her way up the stairs.

When she had gone, Reiji's expression returned to his usual scowl. "Spineless bastard doesn't even have the decency to give a proper greeting."

"Huh?" Yui glanced at Reiji.

Laito wrapped his arm around Yui's shoulder. "Reina's engaged to Shu. And Reiji's mad about that because he wishes it were him instead."

"I learned a long time ago not to wish for things selected for the heir."

"Ahh, as did we." Laito responded.

"What does he mean?" Yui asked.

"Mmm, well Reina comes from a powerful family. So she needs to marry someone with the same amount of power. In our family it's either Shu or Ayato, since they're next in line."

"But she's so caught up on that blonde-haired bastard." Ayato said, his fists clenched.

"Because you act like a child." Subaru said boredly, resting against a wall.

"Subaru-kun! When did you get here?" Yui said, surprised.

" _Baka_. I've been here."

She blinked. Had the woman not noticed Subaru? Or had she purposely ignored him? She tried to clear her thoughts. "Well, she seemed very nice."

Reiji pushed up his glasses. "Indeed."

* * *

 

_"Reina! Look!" Shu jumped excitedly, running up to her._

_"Oh my goodness!" The little girl's eyes lit up, though she tried to maintain her composure, "It's so cute!"_

_"Do you want to hold him?" The blonde haired boy held out the puppy to her._

_She looked around, "May I?"_

_"Of course!" he handed the puppy over to her happily, and it barked in her arms. She giggled, scratching its ears. "I'm in love with him already." She said, smiling down at the little creature._

_The boy's blue eyes sparkled as he looked at the girl. "He's yours then."_

_She looked up at him, blinking in surprise. "Shu?"_

_He laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head in boyish manner. "Um, a gift. For my future wife."_

_Her lips broke into a smile and she bowed her head. "We're not married yet."_

_"But we will be."_

_She stroked the dog's fur, thinking. "So everyone says." Her head shot up. "Hey, Shu?"_

_"Hm?"_

_"You don't mind do you? That we'll get married?"_

_He shook his head, and she smiled. "I don't either. I'll be a good wife."_

_He smiled back at her. "I'll be a good husband."_

_She laughed sticking out her hand to him. He shook it. "Deal, then."_

* * *

 

"Shu?" she said, knocking on the door and walking in. He was in bed, eyes closed, headphones in, one arm behind his head and the other on his stomach. She smiled. He looked so handsome like that. She crawled onto the bed, curling up next to him, waiting for him to put his arms around her. But he didn't. She scrunched up her features.

"I know you're not asleep." She breathed, looking up at his face.

He remained motionless.

"Shu."

She nudged him. "Shu."

"You're ruining my music."

"I finally get back and that's what you tell me?"

"Welcome back." He murmured, seeming completely disinterested.

"I wrote letters. Did you not get any of them?"

"I'm sure they arrived."

"What did you want me to do? It was the most amazing trip for me, and it was only a short while! Will you stay angry the whole time? Damnit Shu you never wrote back!" She pounded her fists into the mattress.

He opened one eye to scan her up and down before closing it again. "I see your temper hasn't improved."

She let out a shaky breath. What would he know of her temper? This was perhaps the first time she had ever been so bold as to snap back. "Just hurry up and hug me already." She mumbled.

"If you want hugs then go find Ayato."

She yanked out his headphones and his eyes shot open, revealing the icy blue she had waited so long to see.

"I'm so sick of your pettiness!"

" _My_ pettiness?" he growled, sitting up, "What about yours? To get up and leave, with no warning-"

"We've been over this! A million times! Reiji understands-"

"Oh, _Reiji_. Reiji the _smart_ one. The _composed_ one. Why don't we just let him be heir and you can go off and marry him!"

"You'd honestly be ok with that?" she yelled at him.

"Sure seems like it'd be ok with you. Why not?" he shrugged casually.

She let out angry breaths, staring at him. "So you want me to marry someone else?"

He stared back at her with a hard expression, not saying anything.

"Fine," she said calmly, "There actually is someone else. I met him while in Paris."

Shu looked at her with those blue eyes and smiled, pulling her to him and falling backwards onto the mattress. "You spiteful woman." He chastised.

She struggled, trying to break free, but he was much stronger than her.

"I-It's true! Let me go!"

He chuckled, holding her all the tighter, "I know when you're lying."

Her cheeks burned, and she was glad he couldn't see her face. She clenched his shirt with her fist. "Why didn't you write back?" her voice quavered.

He squeezed her arm. "You know why."

She bit him. He twitched. "You're so selfish."

He lazily began to stroke her hair. "I know." He exhaled.

"I hate you." She whispered.

* * *

 

_"What do you mean you're leaving?"_

_"I want to see other ways of life. New things, I-"_

_"You have all of forever to do that! What about us?"_

_"I have all of forever to be with you." She said kindly, "I just want to do this one thing on my own. I need this, Shu."_

_"What am I supposed to do with you gone?"_

_"You could study? It wouldn't hurt. We're older now. You'll inherit everything soon-"_

_He knocked the books off of the desk, nearly tossing the table with them. "You're preaching to me now too?"_

_"Shu, I-"_

_"Fine, go! What do I care?"_

_She stormed out of the room, having had enough of the blonde's tantrum._

_Shu paced angrily around the room. If she left he'd have nothing. He clenched his fists, and readjusted his headphones. Like hell he'd try and study. He wouldn't do a damn thing. If she wanted to leave then she was as good as dead. She was leaving him, the way Edgar had left. What would he do? Sleep, maybe. It was the only thing he was good at._

* * *

 

He knew she didn't mean it, but it still made his heart twist in a painful sort of way. Is this what they had been reduced to?

He lifted her chin with his fingers and kissed her deeply, holding her in his arms as though she were the most precious thing in the world. "I missed you." He breathed, trying to convince both himself and her.

"I missed you too." She said softly.

Still, she felt distant. Perhaps she never should have left. The wedge between them was even more apparent now. She sighed. It hadn't always been that way.


	2. Chapter 2

_"Reina, a lady does not rest her elbows on the table."_

_The young girl quickly dropped her hands, and lowered her head. "Yes, Mother."_

_"Chin up, chin up! Ladies do not carry their heads in a hanging fashion. How many times have I told you?"_

_She snapped her head up, straightening her posture. "Yes, Mother."_

_"You will be the wife of the next Sakamaki heir. You need to start acting like it."_

_She nodded._

_"Very well then. Are you ready? This marks the beginning of a new life for us. Do not disappoint me."_

_"Yes, Mother."_

_The first time they had all met was a long time ago. They were only six or seven, then. Her mother had dressed her in her finest dress, her hair done up expertly and tidily. They reached the elegant castle, which really was beyond anything she had seen before, and Reina realized that she truly was below them in status, as her mother had always said. It made it all the more important for her to make a good impression. They were led out to the garden, where Beatrix stood with her two sons by her side._

_"Remember to cursty, Reina." Her mother said flatly._

_She nodded quickly at her mother, her heart pounding with nervousness._

_Beatrix was quite beautiful, Reina thought as she got closer. She knew quite a bit about the family, due to the fact that she had studied them vigorously. But now seeing them in the flesh was rather…strange. Beatrix's two boys stood in front of her, both equally handsome. Shu was smiling happily, and Reiji…looked like he didn't want to be there._

_"Hello," she curtsied, bowing her head, "My name is Reina. It's a pleasure to meet you all."_

_Reiji took her hand and kissed it formally. "The pleasure is ours, Miss Reina."_

_She smiled._

_"Shu." Beatrix nudged her son._

_"Oh, right, hi!" he waved at her, smiling widely._

_"Shu." His mother snapped._

_He cleared his throat and shrunk away a bit, reaching out to take Reina's hand. "Pleasure to meet you." He mumbled, kissing her hand. She blushed, though she tried her absolute best not to. It was an absolute necessity for someone like her to always conceal her emotions, but as the young blonde kissed her hand, she couldn't help it. Her heart raced at the thought that this would be her husband._

_The group made their way beneath the elegant canopy and sat to take their tea. Reina didn't like tea, but she had learned a long time ago to never deny her mother's will. Therefore, she always drank her tea rather quickly, and didn't allow the taste to linger on her tongue. After each sip, she would take a small bite of pastry, to overpower the bitterness of the tea._

_"Mother, may we go play now?" Shu asked after a while, looking expectantly up at Beatrix._

_"Yes, my darling."_

_Shu looked over at Reina and smiled. "You can come too."_

_Reina didn't know what to do. She knew she wasn't supposed to play, because it would ruin her dress and make her sweat. But she also knew that she was supposed to make Shu happy. So which one outranked the other?_

_"Sweetheart, we wouldn't want to upset our hosts, would we?"_

_She looked up at her mother and smiled, exhaling with a bit of relief, finally understanding what it was she had to do. "Yes, Mother."_

_She got out of her chair and walked along with Shu, passing by Reiji. "Will you come too?" she asked._

_"Not likely." He replied._

_It frightened her a bit, and so she simply followed her fiancé instead._

_Shu ran around the garden, and she mostly just watched as he tossed a ball up and down._

_"What was your name again?"_

_She blinked. Did he really not know? "Reina."_

_"Oh," he giggled, "I already forgot."_

_She looked at him curiously, wondering if this boy was really supposed to be the next Sakamaki heir. If anything, his brother held the composure of a first son. It was a bit confusing, but she tried not to dwell on it. Instead, she found contentment in simply watching him. He really was attractive. He'd grow up to be quite a handsome man, she was sure._

_"Catch!" he said, throwing her the ball with surprising force._

_She yelped, dodging it by ducking her head. She then watched in terror as the ball hit Reiji, knocking his glasses to the side and causing him to drop his book. It hadn't even been a full day and she was already making mistakes. Her mother would scold her severely for injuring the Sakamaki son. Reina ran over to him, though she knew ladies shouldn't run, and quickly picked up his book. "I'm so terribly sorry," she apologized profusely, "If I hadn't ducked then-"_

_"Then it would have hit you. Shu has horrible aim."_

_She swallowed awkwardly, and held out his book to him. "It's not ruined is it?"_

_"Not at all." He said politely._

_"I like to read too," she told him, glancing at the title, "is it any good?"_

_"It suffices." He answered curtly. She nodded to show she understood._

_"Reina! Toss the ball back!"_

_Reiji sighed and muttered something Reina didn't quite catch under his breath, and she figured it would be best to just leave him be. She bent over to pick up the ball, and awkwardly tossed it over to Shu. He ran to catch it, yelling back at her about how awful she was at throwing. Her face went red. Perhaps she should practice. She had to make him happy, after all._

_Reiji watched from the corner of his eye as the elegant young girl tried to keep up with his flamboyant brother. He was such a bother, making a lady like her run about the grass in such a way. They had only just met, but her table manners were exceptional, and she carried her words with a certain pride he was familiar with. Her features were pleasant to look at, and though her posture slipped every now and again, she was decent enough. Of course, it was much too soon to decide whether or not she'd be worthy enough to carry the Sakamaki name. But she seemed to have gained the acceptance of his mother, which was important enough as it was. He doubted Shu even knew what was going on. Was he aware that this girl would be his partner? Reiji scoffed. She deserved better than that idiot._

_"Reina, sweetheart! Come over here please!"_

_Reina turned around, giving her attention to her mother, and her mouth went dry. Standing next to her mother was that woman. The Demon King's daughter. Reina walked up to her hesitantly, curtseying politely. "A pleasure to meet you, Lady Sakamaki."_

_The woman burst into laughter. "My, my, Henrietta. You've raised quite the little princess haven't you?"_

_Her mother shot the woman a cold glance, but Cordelia hardly seemed to notice. Instead, she looked over her shoulder, and called out, "Come here my little darlings. We have a new guest."_

_Three young boys came up to stand beside their mother. Reina recognized them as well. Kanato, the one who resembled Cordelia the most, with his purple hair; Ayato, the one standing in the middle, his suspenders falling off his shoulder; and Laito, his long hair nearly covering his face._

_"Hello," she said politely, "It's nice to meet you all."_

_"She's pretty." Laito commented._

_"You say that about every girl." Ayato sneered._

_"It's true, though." Laito grinned widely at her._

_Kanato stayed silent, murmuring things to the teddy bear he held in his hand._

_Cordelia giggled, "I was blessed with three at the same time. Quite the surprise, naturally."_

_"Oi, have you meet the youngest yet?" Ayato asked, stepping closer to her._

_"I don't believe I have."_

_He grabbed her arm without asking, and dragged her down the garden._

_"You should control your sons." She heard her mother hiss._

_"I'll do whatever I damn well want and my sons will do the same." Cordelia snapped back._

_Reina bit her lip as Ayato continued to pull her along, until they reached a bench where the final son sat._

_"Oi, Subaru. There's a new girl."_

_A boy with sad eyes and white hair looked up at them, and he nodded._

_"Hello." She said hesitantly._

_"You should speak, you know." Ayato hissed at him._

_"Hello." The boy grunted._

_Ayato laughed. "He's a weirdo, don't mind him. Hey, Shu's kind of a bore, how about you hang out with us instead?"_

_"Oh, I appreciate the invitation, only I have to stay with Master Shu for most of this visit. Mother says we'll be visiting plenty more though. Perhaps next time."_

_Ayato made a face. "The way you talk reminds me of Reiji."_

_"Reiji?"_

_"Yeah, you know," he put his fingers up to his face, mimicking glasses, "the scary one."_

_"You shouldn't speak of your older brother in such a way." She warned._

_"Indeed." Reiji came up behind them, and Ayato shrinked away._

_"Oi, Reiji, we should put a bell around your neck or something. You pop out of nowhere!"_

_Reina brought her fingers to her lips to hide her smile. Reiji ignored Ayato's words and turned to face Reina. She quickly dropped her hand. "Your mother asked me to fetch you. I believe there are some things that need to be discussed."_

_"Yes, of course." She said, telling Ayato goodbye and making her way to follow Reiji._

_Several more formalities were exchanged, and Reina listened in as Beatrix and her mother discussed the two of them moving into the castle. Her heart pounded. This would be her new home soon. She would finally have a family. She would be able to see her future husband every day. Though she was forced into practicality by her mother, she couldn't help but be in love with the idea love, as unpractical a thing as that might seem. She had read too many books that gave her hope. And from what she had seen, Shu was incredibly kind. They would be childhood sweethearts, and unlike most arranged marriages, she knew they'd be able to fruit love. She'd do her absolute best to assure that fact. He was giving her everything, after all. A new life, new brothers, a new father._

_She wondered what that would be like. She knew Karlheinz was a rather intimidating figure, but for a girl with no father, she didn't seem to mind. He had approved of her to be his heir's wife, and so she would forever be in that man's debt. He had granted her everything she had been told she'd ever need._


	3. Chapter 3

_Shu didn't really like it when Reina called him 'Master Shu' or 'Lord Shu'. He had made quite the point of telling her so. She agreed to simply call him Shu, but around her mother she absolutely had to use the title or she would be scolded. She didn't tell him that, of course. Instead, she insisted that out of respect for the adults, she would use the title. He had made a face at her but let it go. That was the good thing about him; he didn't seem to dwell too much on things. She thought it complimented her well, since she was always analytical and anxious about the smallest things._

_Still though, she was finding it rather difficult to connect to him. He wasn't a fan of reading or anything else. He did, however, like music, but it wasn't something she had a very large passion for. She believed herself to be rather clumsy when it came to instruments, and when she confessed this, he made fun of her for it._

_"I bet you wouldn't even know how to hold a violin."_

_She chewed the inside of her cheeks. "Well, no, I was trained on the piano but," she smiled politely, "I've been told you excel on the violin, Master Shu."_

_He glared at her, "I told you not to call me that."_

_"My apologies."_

_He laughed. "Ayato's right. You do talk like Reiji."_

_It was true, she had noticed it as well. But she didn't exactly find it surprising. With Shu being as carefree as he was, it was up to her and Reiji to keep him on track. They made quite the good team._

_"Come on," he grabbed her arm, "We're going to loosen you up."_

_Her heart caught in her throat. She was glad Shu wanted to include her in his antics, but it generally did not end well for her. But…if it was for him…then she'd endure it._

_"I want you to meet someone." He grinned widely._

_"Someone?" her eyes went wide, completely incredulous. She was already aware of all of Shu's acquaintances. What could he be talking about?_

_"Yeah, just hold on a little more. It's not too far."_

_They pushed past the bushes and trees, Reina struggling to keep up with his pace. He always seemed to forget that she couldn't catch up to him as easily with a skirt as long as hers._

_"Edgar!" he shouted, waving his arms._

_"Shu!" A meager boy ran up to him. Reina knew it was rude to stare, but she had never come across someone so dirty before. He had long unkempt hair, and his shirt was a bit too big on him, as though it had been passed down three times over._

_"This is her!" Shu put his arm around Reina, and she nearly fell into him. She couldn't help but feel the warmth spreading through her body as he held her close._

_"Well, she is pretty. You aristocrats sure are lucky."_

_Shu laughed. "Yeah, well, it wasn't really up to us."_

_"Our parents arranged the marriage." Reina added._

_Edgar blinked at them, "But, ya like each other right?"_

_Shu placed a soft kiss on his fiancee's cheek as proof. Reina's eyes widened as she blushed, her heart pounding. He had…kissed her…_

_Edgar laughed, tossing him an apple. "Alright, alright, stop showing off. We gonna shoot today or what?"_

_"Do you want to try Reina?" Shu looked at her expectantly._

_She bit her lip, "I don't think a lady should be handling weaponry…we really should be getting back," she tugged at his sleeve, "they'll be wondering where we went."_

_He shrugged her off, "Nah, they never find me."_

_"But Shu, the ball is tonight."_

_"I'm well aware," he told her, taking his place next to Edgar._

_"We have to get going-"_

_Shu tossed his arm around his friend's shoulder, "In that case he's coming with us." He said confidently._

_Reina watched as Edgar's eyes seemed to light up. "Are you serious? No way!"_

_She began to get incredibly nervous. This was a vampire ball. They'd never get away with it. His scent would stick out much too easily. And if that didn't give him away, then his manner and attire most definitely would. "Shu," she began, "This is a bad idea."_

_"Don't worry Miss," Edgar beamed, "I can handle myself."_

_It was then that she realized this young boy had no idea what Shu really was. Reina got a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. Feeling incredibly uneasy, she had no choice but to follow Shu's lead. Edgar seemed like a nice enough person, but he was just that, a **person.** Vampires shouldn't be going around associating with their **food.** What was Shu thinking? He couldn't collect Edgar as a pet…_

_She couldn't handle it all. It gave her far too much anxiety. Instead, she excused herself politely, and told the boys she would meet them back at the castle. There was a certain amount of stress attached to the life she lived. A lady had to be completely independent, free thinking and with a competent mind. She needed to be educated in both art and music, and speak multiple languages. Ladies needed to carry themselves with pride, carrying the reputation of their family on their shoulders. Coy, but not too much, composed and eloquent when speaking; this was an absolute must. And yet with all these attributes, it meant nothing without a powerful man by her side. It was a contradiction she didn't understand, but didn't argue. And so, despite everything screaming at her that this was an awful idea, she yielded to Shu. When it came down to it, after all, she had no complaints to stand subordinate to him. Not any that she could think of, anyway. Despite his antics, he made her smile, and he was not mean on purpose. That was already more than she could have asked for._

_These were the thoughts that circled Reina's head as she headed back towards the castle. Once there, she successfully avoided her mother, and managed to prepare a bath for herself in order to get ready for the ball. With the help of a few familiars, her dress fell gracefully down her legs while hugging her girlish figure securely up top. Her mother said that navy suited her best, so many of her dresses were in this shade. Though, if it were up to her, she might have chosen a nice deep purple, with perhaps some black accents._

_When she finally entered the large ballroom, she was surrounded by some of the most beautiful women she had ever seen, many of them accompanied by their husbands or lovers. She recognized quite a few of them, many being quite important figures in the underworld. As she walked by them, she heard the familiar whispers._

_"Look there…"_

_"Isn't that…"_

_"Sampson's girl…"_

_It was not something she was unfamiliar with. Her father had been rather famous, and good friends with Karlheinz himself. His first wife was unable to grant him any children, and so the gossip spread when he married Henrietta. The story went that seeing the opportunity before her, Henrietta promised Sampson a son, in order to climb up the social ladder. When a daughter was born instead, Sampson tried to kill Henrietta as a means of retribution. However, Henrietta, being as cunning as she was, killed him first, and in doing so, succeeded his family line along with all of his riches. They said it had been her plan all along._

_Reina knew this wasn't true. Her mother had told her the real story. When Sampson realized he wouldn't have a proper heir, he lost his mind, and tried to kill Reina when she was still just a baby. Her motherly instinct taking over, Henrietta killed him, in order to save the life of her child. Her mother could be rather strict, but Reina knew that deep down she loved her. She owed her life to her. And so while she tried to ignore the fact that everyone believed they were only in this for the money, it still managed to hurt._

_"Hey, Miss!"_

_She caught sight of Edgar, who was waving to her happily from the refreshment table. She smiled politely, and headed over to him. "Hello," she said, "You clean up rather nicely."_

_"Isn't it great? Shu let me borrow the clothes," he tugged at the neck strap, "I don't know how you rich kids do this, it's sort of uncomfortable, but the food is great!"_

_Reina held her amiable smile, "Please, enjoy. There is plenty to go around."_

_"I will!" he shoved his face with the miniature pies, and Reina tried her best not to grimace at his lack of composure._

_"Reina!" a familiar voice called to her. A real smile replaced her old one, as she came face to face with Shu. "Shall we dance?"_

_"Oh, I'd love to!"_

_He looked at Edgar. "Will you be ok?"_

_He shot him a thumbs up, continuing to snack around._

_Shu led her out onto the dance floor, where he wrapped his arm around her waist and took her hand in his own. "Mother said I had to ask you."_

_Her smile faded at hearing that. "Oh. I hope I'm not troubling you."_

_He shrugged. "It's ok. Just not my favorite thing."_

_Reina nodded._

_Their dance was rather awkward. She tried her best but, being so close to him was making her so nervous she could hardly stand it._

_"Do you like dancing, Reina?"_

_She smiled and nodded, "Yes, very much."_

_He seemed conflicted at that, as they continued to sway. She noticed this, feeling horribly uneasy. "Shu, what's wrong?"_

_"Nothing just…I know you like this, but would you mind if I went with Edgar? It's his first ball and everything. You can dance with Reiji! If I tell him then he'll have to do it."_

_Though her heart sank a bit, the smile he got on his face was something she couldn't fight against. "Don't worry about me," she told him, "I will always be in favor of whatever makes you happiest."_

_As the words left her mouth she realized she meant it whole-heartedly. Shu grinned widely and thanked her, kissing her cheek and making his way towards Edgar. She brought her fingers up to her cheek, her heart pounding in blurry patterns. A small part of her wished that he would bid her goodbye in that same manner every time._

_She made her way to the edge of the room, playing the part of the perfect wall flower. She admired the sky, the moon rather enchanting tonight, with its crescent shape. It looked as though it were smiling down on them all._

_"Isn't that…"_

_"The gold-digger."_

_She heard a few stray giggles of laughter and clenched her fists, trying to ignore it all. Once she was older, she would show them all. She belonged here, same as them. She deserved to be here just as much as anyone else. Her place was next to Shu, because Karlheinz had willed it to be so. And, once they were older, they'd fall in love and get married. She was sure of it. She had no use for money. She was not doing this because of the money. It was all in gratitude of Karlheinz and her mother. It was all to see Shu be happy…_

_"Reina."_

_The calm voice cut through her thoughts, and she looked up at Reiji, who had his palm extended out to her. "Would you care to dance?"_

_"Most definitely," she smiled, taking his hand._

_He led her out, placing his hand confidently on her waist, and pulling her to him. Their steps were in sync, and Reina was rather amazed at how good of a dancer Reiji was. "You must practice a lot," she complimented._

_"It's a simple formality." He corrected._

_She nodded, understanding completely. There were certain aspects to this life that were considered a requirement._

_"Shall I spin you?"_

_"Huh?"_

_Without saying anything else, he held her out, twisting her hand, and Reina followed, her skirt flowing as she spun. He pulled her back, and she laughed. Reiji smiled, though he tried not to. "I've always wondered what about that seems to catch a woman's fancy."_

_She giggled a bit, "Well it's so fun! I enjoy watching my skirt spread out. It almost looks like a flower, with its petals blooming."_

_"I see." He said shortly, "In that case, would you care to do it again?"_

_She nodded, and he spun her once more. Again, Reina giggled._

_Reiji smirked._

_"What is it?" she asked._

_He shook his head. "If your skirt is akin to petals…it would quite literally make you a wall flower."_

_She smiled, shaking her head. "Oh, Reiji."_


	4. Chapter 4

_As Reina walked along the castle aimlessly, finally having finished her studies for the day, she could have sworn she heard muffled crying. She didn't know why she was so quick to pick up on it, perhaps because it was a sound she was all too familiar with, but her feet reacted to the sound, and almost instantly, she found the culprit._

_Upon seeing her, Ayato quickly wiped his face and told her to go away. She crouched by him, so that she was practically sitting next to him on the floor._

_"Ayato," she said, "Show me your face."_

_He shrunk away even more. "I got in a fight with Subaru. It's nothing." He spat._

_She carefully cupped his cheek with her hand and assessed the damage. It was too big of a bruise for even Subaru to have created. Her heart clenched. Cordelia was perhaps more brutal than her own mother. "It'll be ok," she told him encouragingly, "They tend to fade quickly. And the pain stops after a short while."_

_He shook her away. "What the hell would you know! Get away from me!"_

_Her eyes widened in surprise, slightly taken aback. Silently, she stood up and began to roll up the sleeves of her dress, revealing the multiple bruises that littered her arm._

_Ayato blinked quietly, lowering his head a bit. "Sorry." He mumbled._

_She smiled and shook her head, lowering her sleeve. "It's not your fault. But, I do know how you feel. So there's no need to hold it in."_

_He nodded affirmatively, seemingly with new resolve, standing up to join her. "You don't have to hold it in either." He told her, offering his hand, "We're siblings now, after all."_

_She took his hand and shook it happily, "I've always wanted a brother."_

_"Don't worry about it! Ore-sama will take care of you! I'll be the best big brother you ever had!"_

_Reina giggled, not having the heart to tell him that she was actually older than him. "I'd like that very much, Ayato."_

_He smiled gleefully, and then ran off._

_Her relationship with the triplets was a rather good one. Perhaps it was because of the silent understanding they all shared. Laito could get a bit touchy, but it was never anything she couldn't handle. Besides, no matter what Laito chose to do, she couldn't exactly find herself angry with him. He took the largest brunt of his mother's caprices, and it was something she admired in him. So if he chose to act out every once in a while, she couldn't say it was without reason._

_All three brothers were quite protective of her, the way brothers should be towards a sister, but when it came to Kanato, she felt herself being the protective one. She couldn't stand to see his tears, so she had taken it upon herself to always carry candy in her pocket, with which to cheer him up. It was something she rather enjoyed; being able to pamper someone. When he was in one of his better moods, sometimes Kanato would even sing to her._

_"Do you sing, Onee-san?"_

_"Oh, no," she politely folded her hands in her lap as she sat, smiling kindly at her younger brother, "Not the way you can."_

_He giggled, "So, I'm better than you?"_

_"I suppose that's one way of putting it," she said hesitantly, "Yes."_

_Kanato giggled again, holding up Teddy. "Hey, did you hear that Teddy? She thinks I'm better than her."_

_Of course, there hardly ever came a time when the triplets had to soothe Reina. Although she had made that promise to Ayato, it was something she didn't want to burden him with. Besides, she was quite skilled at hiding her true feelings, and her mother never left bruises in places that would be visible to the public. Except, on one horrible day that she'd really rather forget, her mother had gotten into some sort of argument with Cordelia, and was in a terrible mood. Henrietta took it out on Reina, though she had done nothing, and Reina was so beaten down that she could not find the energy to get up off the floor. Her mother called her pathetic, if a simple beating was enough to ruin her, and left her there. At the time, Reina wondered if she would die like that._

_Kanato happened to walk into her room that day, demanding candy. When he noticed the state she was in, he broke into one of his rages, claiming he would kill whoever had done this to her. Reina begged him to calm down, using up the last bit of her strength, managing to satiate him with some sweets._

_Even still, the seriousness in Kanato's eyes as he vowed to kill Henreitta…it was something that Reina would never be able to erase from her mind._

_The only brother she was unable to really communicate with was Subaru. He seemed to prefer the solitude. It was something that she could understand at times, so she let him be. He, in turn, let her be._

_He got mad a lot. Christa was the only wife Reina didn't know very much about. She definitely seemed like a broken woman, though. It didn't help that Cordelia threw a jab at her any chance she got. No doubt it had an effect on Subaru._

_Sometimes she wished they talked more. She really did hate to see him so depressed and alone all the time. She knew how lonely solitude could be, even if one preferred it that way. But whenever she tried to get close, he'd push her away. She could understand that as well. If whatever was going on between Subaru and his mother needed to be dealt by him alone, then she wouldn't pry. It wasn't her place after all. Still, it hurt her to know that one of her brothers was in pain._

_After living with the Sakamaki brothers for so long now, she saw them as just that; brothers. One time, in an effort to cheer Ayato up after he had received yet another beating, she decided to make him some takoyaki. He was quite pleased with it, and so she let him know that she'd happily make them whenever he wanted. Ayato laughed at that, calling her a doormat. She didn't mind though. She liked making her new family happy. She had even offered some to Shu, but for some reason, he wasn't a very large fan of it. She assured him that she would improve her cooking skills to create something of his liking._

_One particular day, Subaru happened to roam into the kitchen, and shyly asked if there was any takoyaki left. Reina regretted to tell him that there was not, but she could quickly make some more. He blushed at this, and grumbled that it wasn't necessary. After that, whenever she made takoyaki for Ayato, she was sure to save a select few for her youngest brother, whether he asked for them or not. Sometimes she'd just drop off a plate by his door. He wouldn't say anything, and neither would she, but after a short while she'd return to find the plate licked clean._

_Perhaps the best and easiest relationship was the one she held with Reiji. He was the most like her, after all, so they understood each other easily enough. Sometimes, though, she found herself rather jealous of the fact that his mother never scolded him. Even without punishment as a means of motivation, he still managed to encompass the epitome of everything she had ever been taught to value. How did one achieve such a level of dedication? She wasn't quite sure, but she admired him all the same. Often, they'd sit together in the library, reading. They did not exchange much conversation, other than the required formalities, but she enjoyed his presence just the same. He was her only older brother, about three months her senior, and she revered him as such. At times, she wished Shu would join them in their silent admiration of literature, but she knew he didn't enjoy reading the way she and Reiji did._

* * *

 

_Reina couldn't seem to find Shu anywhere. Had he run off with Edgar again? She sighed. This was getting slightly out of hand. He would rush through his studies and then disappear. It worried her. What if he got hurt? She knew, of course, that he could handle himself, but this simple logic was not enough to soothe her anxiety. She had been told by Beatrix to please find him, so that the young couple could perform a duet. He, of course, on the violin, and she on the piano. Although, Reina had to admit, part of the reason for her search was a selfish one. More than anything, she missed him._

_Continuing on her hunt, she entered the library, only to find Reiji reading a book. "Oh, I'm sorry." She excused herself politely._

_"It's no trouble," He assured her, closing his book, "Is something the matter?"_

_She looked around, before her eyes landed on his. "I was just looking for Shu."_

**_Of course she was,_ ** _he thought._

_He laughed wryly. "Why he would be in here I can't imagine."_

_A small smile tugged at her lips, and she walked over to where he sat, taking her seat across from him. "To be honest, I'm a bit worried about him."_

_Reiji raised an eyebrow._

_She rubbed the outside of her hand with her thumb nervously. "Well, you see, he's told me," she bit her lip, unsure of herself, "He says he's made friends with a boy…a human one."_

_"Yes, the one he brought to our ball the other day. Only he would do something like that."_

_"It seems harmless," she quickly jumped to his defense, "But something about it is unsettling. She lowered her head, but quickly raised it. "Do you…do you think someone like us should be around…"_

_"Of course not. They are beneath us in every respect."_

_She nodded her head affirmatively, "That's what I had always thought but…I don't know. My stomach just feels so uneasy."_

_"Have you told him this?"_

_She nodded, as though she were deep in thought. Suddenly she reached out to him, placing her hand on his. "Oh Reiji, please don't tell your father. I would hate for him to get in trouble again."_

_Reiji never understood how a vampire like her could provide such warmth, even with just a brief touch such as this one. He quickly removed his hand and adjusted his glasses. "I will take care of it, if you so wish."_

_She smiled. With the two of them working together, surely they would get Shu back on track. They would be the two pillars that held up the throne of the next vampire king. She was glad to know that Reiji's aspirations matched her own._

_She got up to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Reiji."_

_With that she excused herself, and left him alone in the library._

_As Reiji watched her leave, warmth began to hug his cold body, starting from his cheek, and slowly spreading its way down. This warmth soon burned with envy, however, as he remembered once again that everything she did, she did for Shu._


	5. Chapter 5

_"Reina! Come on, come on!" Shu dragged her along, their shoes getting muddied by the damp forest floor. "Shu!" she yelped, trying to keep up with his pace, "Please, slow down, I'm in a dress!" Her mind was spinning. It took all she had to breathe in enough air to keep her lungs happy. Shu had proven to be quite a challenge for her. Every chance he got, he evaded his studies, and pulled her along on his boyish adventures that were essentially fruitless. Reina had tried her absolute best to understand him, but she was constantly being thrown into new territory._

_As they continued through the thick wood, the mud clinging to the hem of her skirt, her heart raced with new panic. She'd get a beating for sullying her attire. "We're here!" Shu announced, dropping hold of her hand to place them on his sides, puffing his chest proudly. Reina looked around. There wasn't very much of anything, save for the trees that extended far beyond their heads. What had he brought her here for?_

_"Come here." He yanked her arm, pulling her down to the floor, and she landed on the wet grass with a confused yelp. He pulled her rather brusquely, wedging his arm under the crook of her neck. "Look up," he said, "Do you see it?"_

_Way up above them, there was a small clearing between the branches, allowing sprinkles of stars to rain down. A faint smile appeared on her lips, but the anxiety of the punishment she was sure to receive overpowered the tenderness of the moment. Shu, however, was absolutely beaming. It eased her thumping heart, if only just a bit._

_"When we're married, I'll make sure we have a place just like this."_

_She glanced up at him, because she felt a certain need to see his face, just then. His eyes were shining like the stars above them, and with a strange warm feeling beginning to consume her body, Reina smiled. Yes, they would get married, and then Shu would take care of her. He wouldn't hit her, and maybe they'd curl up like this from time to time, to do as something as pointless as looking up at the stars. Though the grass was damp, and no doubt the mud was staining her dress, she had to admit, things like this every now and again were not wholly unpleasant._

* * *

 

_Reiji watched silently from the crack in the door. It was rude to eavesdrop, he knew, but he couldn't bring himself to look away. There was an incredibly sharp sound as hand met cheek from inside the room. It was enough to make even Reiji flinch. But Reina took it silently._

_"Coming into this house looking as **unsightly** as you do. Are you trying to make a fool of me?"_

_"No Mother, of course not-"_

_With another smack her voice was cut off._

_"Just what did you think you were doing?"_

_"You said I had to make Master Shu happy, Mother. He wanted to play in the forest-"_

_"Surely you can conduct yourself in a way that does not produce such ghastly results."_

_"Yes, Mother." Her voice trembled slightly, but not enough for anyone other than Reiji to notice. He clenched his teeth. When would that good for nothing realize that his actions had consequences? He stood perfectly still, as Reina's mother left the room, a scowl still apparent on her face. He watched, unable to drop his gaze as Reina silently let her tears fall, her fingers brushing her cheek gently. For a brief moment, he almost felt envious. Though it must have been painful, at least Henrietta cared enough about her daughter to be disappointed. He pushed the thought away, finding himself foolish, and knocked politely on the door. He heard her clear her throat._

_"Come in."_

_He pardoned himself for the intrusion and entered. She carried a pleasant smile on her face, her hands folded neatly in front of her. If he were anyone else, he would have thought her happy._

_"I was just reading a bit of Shakespeare, and I thought you might enjoy it." He said, extending the book out to her. Her smile widened a bit, and he knew it to be genuine. "Thank you so much," she received the book gratefully, "I was just heading to sleep, so this will be perfect."_

_He nodded curtly to show his understanding. "If that's the case, then perhaps some tea before bed?"_

_He noticed the tinge of pink that began to line the tops of her cheeks. "You're very kind, Reiji, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline."_

_He smirked, adjusting his glasses, "Just as I suspected."_

_She eyed him curiously._

_"You find the taste bitter, do you not? The expression one makes at something unpalatable is impossible to miss."_

_Her face reddened at his words, only making his smirk widen in turn. "Nothing gets past you, Reiji-san."_

_He bowed humbly. "It was a mere observation. Of course, I manufacture my own brews of the highest quality, should you ever care to sample a taste."_

_"I'd most certainly like that." She said affirmatively, a real smile now on her face. Reiji would go so far as to say he found a smile like that appealing._

_He nodded once again before bidding her a good night, and then excused himself from the room. He could think of a few different combinations she might find agreeable. He rubbed his chin, losing himself in thought as he made his way to his room. Perhaps she would prefer something with a hint of citrus. If he added mint then it would play on the brightness of the fruit. He nodded affirmatively, as though he were agreeing with himself. He wanted to see her expression when she tried his tea, as he was sure he could conjure something to see that appealing smile once again. It was solely for his own benefit, of course, he told himself; there was, after all, nothing wrong with indulging in that which he found aesthetically pleasing._

_As he continued to see her hidden grimace every afternoon at tea time, it provided him with the motivation needed to perfect a taste just for her._

_One particular evening, he invited her into the parlor, so that she could try his new concoction. He watched as she hesitantly brought the cup to her lips, blowing on the hot liquid before taking a delicate sip. The doubt in her eyes quickly vanished, and was instead replaced with awe. She blinked a few times, looking at the young boy across from her. How could someone her age come up with something like this?_

_"Reiji! This is wonderful! How ever did you manage it?"_

_"It's quite basic." He pushed up his glasses._

_"It's delicious!" she smiled, taking another sip, "Thank you."_

_"Think nothing of it."_

_"I can hardly believe it to be tea." She giggled softly._

_Reiji said nothing, quietly taking a few sips of his own._

_Reina watched him for a moment, before speaking up, "That's quite an interesting design," she complimented, as he brought the cup to his lips, "On this particular set."_

_He glanced at her and then at the teacup he held in his hands. He eyed it briefly before flicking his eyes to once again meet her gaze. "Not any more so than the others we own."_

_"Oh but they're all different!" she began excitedly, "Each one is its own piece of art. From the forks and saucers to the spoons and cups. The level of detailing can be quite astonishing." She stopped, noticing him staring at her, and laughed away her words. "Perhaps that's strange of me, noticing the details in something as silly as tableware…it's just, once I'm older, I'd quite like my own arrangement. And then I'd have the tables set with the most elaborate and marvelous silver. The other ladies would be in complete awe, with china of such quality." She turned bright red, Reiji staring at her intently, and so she quickly excused herself for using so many words when only two or three would have sufficed. He took another quiet sip of tea before formulating his answer._

_"It is important to have a passion of some sort, with a life as long as ours."_

_She smiled tenderly, "Well, I wouldn't go so far as to call it a passion; rather, it's something I enjoy from time to time. They are pretty to look at, is all." She explained, retracting her previous explanations._

_"Why not begin a collection?"_

_She seemed to think about that, but quickly laughed again. "No," she said a bit sadly, "Mother would never allow it. It's silly after all. I'd have no time, what with chasing after Shu and everything else."_

_Reiji scoffed._

_"Why don't you like him?" she said hesitantly._

_"He's a good for nothing." He didn't even bother to hide his irritation._

_"You shouldn't say such things." She said seriously, "We're the same, you and I. We will be his strong supporting army of two." She smiled._

_"Tch. I know well my duty to this family."_

_She nodded sheepishly, worried she had overstepped her bounds. She quickly tried to change the topic. "Say, Reiji, why don't you do it?"_

_"Do what?"_

_"Collect tableware." Her cheeks reddened again, and he found it rather curious, considering she was generally able to control such things._

_"You're interested in perfection aren't you? Wouldn't you agree that these come close?" she held up the cup as evidence._

_He hummed in amusement, "Yes, I suppose so."_

_She smiled proudly._

_Ah, so perhaps she was as observant as he. It was slightly unsettling, for the simple reason that it made him wonder if she could see through his mask the way he could see through hers. They were, as she had mentioned, the same._

_One thing, however, was quite certain: the smile she had as she admired the teacups was perhaps more appealing than when she had tasted his tea. So if she tasted the best tea he could make, in the finest teacup he could find…well. He wondered what sort of expression might adorn her face, in a situation such as that one._


	6. Chapter 6

_She had smelled it, before all else. The burning of the wood, the ashes of that which had burnt beyond resolve. And then she saw it, from the wall of windows that lined the hallway outside her bedroom. The rising smoke, the orange glow from deep within the forest. In that moment, terror gripped at her throat, and she knew. She knew._

_Her legs took off before she had a chance to find her reason, and she twisted and tumbled through the labyrinth of the castle, bursting into Shu's room. She did not bother with formalities. It was not necessary today._

_"Shu."_

_The once lively eyes that would shine as he looked at her were nothing but dead and empty crevices. "Reina." His voice was hoarse, and he was dirty. No, it couldn't be-_

_"An accident?" she said quickly, "Surely, they've dealt with fires before-"_

_"No." he said simply. Though he was standing right next to her, he sounded far away._

_"But Edgar-"_

_"Dead. Just like the rest of the village," he laughed cruelly, "They're all so weak, after all."_

_Tears lined his young eyes, and for the first and only time, Reina saw her fiancé cry. She wanted so desperately to console him, to offer him some sort of solution, to take him in her arms and pat his head, as one would a baby. But she couldn't. For whatever reason she was frozen, unable to think or move._

_"Reina," he whispered, hugging her, burying his head in the crook of her neck, his tears moistening her skin, "He was my friend."_

_Immediately, automatically, as if under some sort of trance, she hugged him, wrapping her arms around his back, holding him close. What did one say, in a situation like this? What **could** one say? Her heart beat fast as thoughts filled her mind in a dizzying rush. She had asked Reiji to…but surely he couldn't…_

_"I'm so sorry Shu." She breathed, holding him all the tighter, her own voice wavering._

_"It's my fault." His voice cracked, his lips trembling._

_Her eyes widened and she was overcome with guilt. How many times had she wished Edgar would disappear, so that Shu could focus on his studies? She never could have imagined…_

_"No, Shu. No it's not your fault. They're built differently from us. At one point or another-"_

_"Promise you won't leave."_

_She didn't know why his comment gripped her heart in such a way, holding it almost threateningly. As though his nails had latched onto her very soul. With all this, she found her mouth going dry. "I-I won't." This simple assurance was all she could manage._

_"I know." He answered, the strain no longer in his voice. He pulled away, his eyes dry and cold. Never before had she seen him wearing such an expression. "I'd like to be alone."_

_She nodded, bowing her head respectfully. "Yes, of course. If you need anything-"_

_"I don't."_

_She slowly headed out of the room, trying to be as understanding as possible. "Of course." She repeated, and shut the door quietly behind her._

_She let out a shaky breath. She needed to find Reiji. Surely he hadn't caused this…had he? He wasn't nearly spiteful enough. He always had a clear head, and acted in the most logical way. No, she affirmed. It could not have been Reiji. Humans made frivolous mistakes all the time. The village had simply been subject to an inevitable tragedy. And after all, what was the life of a few humans? It was not something a vampire like her should be doting on, and yet it pained her nonetheless._

_Was it because of Edgar? Surely not, she hardly knew the boy. Perhaps it was Shu's attachment to him. She couldn't seem to think clearly; the scent of death, though far away, hung heavy in the air._

_Knocking on Reiji's door, she excused herself before entering. "I'm assuming you've heard." She said quietly._

_"Yes." He said easily. He stood watching from the window, his hands clasped behind his back._

_"Reiji, please tell me you didn't-"_

_"And if I did?"_

_Her eyes went wide, her entire core struck with shock. "R-Reiji! He was-"_

_"Nothing but a human. What was he hoping to do with it? The only thing a human is good for is blood. And even that is-"_

_"This is wrong, Reiji." She said strongly, shaking her head. "When I asked you-"_

_"Don't be so conceited as to think I did this for you. Shu had rejected his duties all day, and mother asked me to fetch him. I decided this would be the most efficient way, ending it once and for all."_

_Reina's mouth went dry. Though she could follow his logic, it struck her as wrong, just the same._

_"There could have been a better way, surely-"_

_"Can you think of one? That human was becoming like a crutch to him. It's pathetic, clinging to a human the way Kanato holds onto that stuffed doll-"_

_"But Edgar was-"_

_"Clearly, you will defend him above all else. Will you throw away your reason, for the likes of him? As his wife you must support him, not follow him blindly. There is a difference."_

_Reina inhaled quietly, not wanting to say anything more. Perhaps it was impossible, to win against Reiji in an argument. His actions still didn't settle well with her, but she could see his reasoning—one would have to be blind not to—and therefore, she simply excused herself._

_"Reina." He called._

_She stopped herself, biting her lip._

_"I have done, and always will do, what is best for this family." He said it so seriously, and with such dedication in his voice, that Reina thought herself to be standing in the presence of the Vampire King himself._

_"A-As will I." she agreed, and then quickly rushed out of the room._

**_You must support him, not follow him blindly._ **

_She felt strange. Had she been doing that, all this time? In her efforts to keep Shu happy had she simply agreed to everything? Though it had been a light scolding at the most, it felt horrible to be reprimanded by Reiji. She had never felt so completely incompetent before._

_From now on, she would be different. She would bring out the best in Shu, rather than simply play along. She'd urge him to study more, and she herself would improve her piano playing, so that they could enjoy music together. And in doing so, she'd show Reiji that she could be a wife worthy of the Sakamaki name. She'd make him proud. She held his disappointment with perhaps more severity than she did that of her own mother._

_Even still…_

_It bothered her. She dashed back to his room, feeling a strange fire start to burn within her, and entered without knocking._

_"One must announce themselves before-"_

_"There could have been another way." She affirmed._

_"Will you insist upon this?"_

_"A human life is a life just the same, Reiji. And he was his friend-"_

_"I'm quite disappointed. For you to have lost all reason-"_

_"I am speaking with reason. Shu cared for that boy. There would have been more effective-"_

_"How? Tell me, can you think of anything? How much longer would this have gone for?" He sighed, "That good for nothing-"_

_"Is our next King! One day you will have to address him as such!" her voice shook, her hands in small fists, but still, she held her ground._

_Reiji stood shocked, his mouth slightly agape._

_"I will always stand by you, Reiji. But what happened today I won't forgive."_

_He scoffed at that, "For you to think I seek your forgiveness makes you quite foolish."_

_It was now her turn, to be shocked. "You are the fool," she said carefully, "if you think you can go on in this life without forgiveness."_

_Reiji gave a curt smile, nodding in her direction, "Agree to disagree, then."_

_She cleared her throat. "Very well."_

_"Will you tell him?" he asked._

_"Shu?"_

_He said nothing._

_"N-No," she hesitated, "I won't."_

_Reiji hummed thoughtfully, smiling to himself, "You cannot protect everyone, Reina."_

_"I don't intend to."_

_"You do."_

_"Is there harm in it? To discover a betrayal of this kind-"_

_"Is that how you see it? A betrayal?"_

_"Isn't it?"_

_"A lesson. A memorable one at that."_

_She swallowed awkwardly, "Agree to disagree."_

_He chuckled rather sadly. "Very well. And now, I must ask, your opinion of me?"_

_"My opinion?"_

_He said nothing, but fixed his stare on her._

_"Unchanged."_

_"Unchanged? Again I must think you a fool."_

_"You are free to do so. I will continue to revere you as I always have. Good night, Reiji-san." Her head held high, her posture perfect, she left the room, leaving Reiji rather speechless._

_Reiji clenched his fists, before loosening his grip and then picking up his book which lay on the desk. He thought she would hate him. Was hoping she would hate him. It would have made everything so easy. If she never spoke to him again, it would be so easy. By now, though, he should have guessed that it would not be that way. It was only here, in this moment, that he understood the strength of that woman. He had always recognized it of course, but understanding it was a separate thing altogether. Perhaps he should have hated her. All technicalities considered, he was her superior. To be spoken to in such a way was shocking at best. He smiled to himself, flipping aimlessly through his book. Worthy of the Sakamaki name indeed, he thought. He could see, without question, why his father had chosen her to be the heir's wife. His smile quickly faded, however, as a new and strange sensation began to fill his chest. He cleared his throat, as though it were an ailment he could brush away. But it did not. Crinkling his features, he searched for a word to accurately describe this new sentiment. For a long while, he thought, scanning various words and definitions, before finally declaring it to be pity. He scoffed. Pity? For what? For a girl who…_

_The more he considered it, the more it felt as though his chest were being filled with lead. A girl who would never be able to reach her full potential. A girl eternally shackled to dead weight. And yet, this ball and chain which stunted her so heavily, this good-for-nothing ball and chain was who she chose to defend with the all-too-apparent passion that burned in those brown eyes. Was it in ignorance that she protected him so vehemently? Or was it in full awareness that she accepted her fate, earnestly charging on, despite the futility of her position?_

_He wasn't quite sure, nor did he intend to ever ask. But as his thoughts continued to circle around this pitiful woman, he couldn't help but realize that they were attached to the same chain._

* * *

 

_Reina had returned to her room. She had bathed. She had gone to bed. She had laid in silent darkness for what felt like an eternity, and still, nothing could shake her uneasiness. Which is why now, while all others were asleep, she paced nervously about the halls, exhaling shakily. She had tried, on multiple accounts, to return to her room, but found sleep to be impossible. She was currently in the unique position of being unable to turn to either Reiji or Shu, and the simple fact of the matter was that it made her quite uncomfortable._

_She thought endlessly of Reiji, and what he had done. A secret he had no intention of holding secret, but she had vowed to keep nonetheless. Though she condemned his actions, she understood them, which in itself was a unique situation. Tying in all the separate complications…_

_It was a lot to think about. Filled with this moral confliction, she became restless. She could have laughed at herself: after all, what does a vampire like her need to be concerned with morality for? Although, she wasn't sure if she could stretch it so far as to call it a moral question. Perhaps it was simply an effect of heightened sympathy. She could not say for sure._

_In seeking a sense of normalcy, she found herself at Ayato's door. She opened it silently, tiptoe-ing in, taking care to quietly shut the door._

_"Ayato." She whispered, climbing into his bed._

_He woke with a start, rubbing his eyes with a groggy fist. "Onee-san? What's wrong?"_

_"Mnnmm," she shook her head, "bad dream." She explained easily. With a clumsy hand he tossed the covers over her, and warned her not to hog the bed or he'd kick her off. Yawning, he curled up once more. "Don't worry," he murmured sleepily, "Ore-sama is…here…" It was just shortly after, that he returned to sleep, and Reina, calmed by the steady breaths of her brother, closed her eyes, herself slipping into darkness._


	7. Chapter 7

_Over the course of many years, with Reina now at the age of sixteen, she had matured gracefully, as any young lady would. And of course, as is the nature of life, with the progression of maturity came the loss of innocence. This is not to say a complete loss of innocence, but rather, she had grown to learn that perhaps one should not revere their parents as wholly and absolutely as she once did._

_Her mother was not faultless. She knew that now. And because Reina was now old enough to understand true consequences, she began to realize that often, she was beaten with no purpose. It was something she struggled with, unable to comprehend why a woman who was supposed to love her enough to kill her father would hit her without reason._

_Which is why, as the days passed, and time went on, Reina began to think that perhaps what had happened between Henrietta and Sampson was perhaps more sinister than she had been told. And although rumors were rumors, Reina knew there had to be some level of truth to them._

_These days, Reina had a lot of time to think. Which was a blessing and a curse. Since the night of Edgar's death, Shu had retreated, become a shell of his former self, and nothing Reina or anyone else did could coax him out. He even left his beloved violin behind, rarely mustering up the energy to play._

_It saddened her. Mostly because there was nothing she could do to fix it._

_Often he'd ask her to nap with him, so that they could be warm together. She didn't understand that, and really rather hated it. They were both vampires, so creating heat in such a way was futile at best. And sleeping for no reason at all was such an incredible waste that she found herself getting increasingly anxious. How could he spend days on end, like this? Generally, once she knew he was sound asleep, she'd sneak out of the room, going about her daily routines as usual._

_As a result, she became increasingly closer to Ayato. They shared the same burden, after all. When the beatings got really bad, Reina would turn to Reiji, who always handed her an elixir without question. Though she didn't ask, and Reiji never commented on it, there always seemed to be enough formula for both her and Ayato._

_Shu never seemed to notice. If he did, then he didn't comment on it. There was very little Shu commented on these days._

_They kissed now. Rather often, considering he was asleep a grand majority of the time. Although, it was quite quickly escalating to more than just innocent kisses. Reina was not ignorant to this. She knew what would happen soon. But the idea of it scared her. And the truth was that she didn't exactly want to do that yet. It wasn't that she didn't love him; no, she was nearly certain she loved him. But rather, she was questioning his own feelings. But if he wanted to do something of that scale then…clearly he felt the same way about her, didn't he?_

_She didn't know. If Laito served as any reference then one certainly did not have to be in love to make love. Cordelia was also a fine example of this. Her mother said a woman's sexuality was her greatest weapon. She didn't exactly like the way her mother said that so easily. She knew what Henrietta would say if she approached her about it. Part of Reina wanted the advice of her mother, and part of her didn't._

_Shu had already made his intentions quite clear. Though she knew he wouldn't force her, she could sense his irritation. She knew that it shouldn't matter, that they would be married soon and this sort of thing would happen often, but…_

_There was something that held her back._

_With these conflicting thoughts in her head she roamed the castle. Shu was asleep as usual. She didn't feel like reading today. Usually she's sit with Reiji in the library and enjoy a novel or two, but the heat was distracting her. Summer had never been so hot. Even some of the roses were starting to wilt. She sighed. Subaru wouldn't be very happy about that. She was no expert, but she thought maybe she'd go and water them a bit._

_When she got outside, she was surprised to find Ayato looking out at the garden as well._

_"Fancy seeing you here." She smiled._

_"Nee-saaaaaannn…" he whined, "It's so hooooot."_

_She giggled, filling up a small watering can. "Then go back inside."_

_He whined again, "What are you doing?"_

_"The flowers look thirsty." She explained._

_"Tch. Who cares about that?"_

_"They're too beautiful to die." She insisted._

_"Heh. That's lame."_

_She stuck her tongue out at him, and continued to water the flowers. When she finished, she wiped her brow, having sweated. It was quite unladylike, and she decided she should probably take a bath before deciding to do anything else._

_"I think this is the hottest its been in a while." She said to Ayato._

_He nodded, a wicked smirk on his face that she was all too familiar with. Instinctively she backed away, "Well, I think I'll go freshen up-"_

_"Onee-san!" he cheered, picking her up easily, making her drop the can, "I got an idea!"_

_"Ayato put me down!"_

_"Tch. Like hell."_

_"Damnit Ayato!" she kicked and screamed, but he had grown taller than her, stronger than her._

_"You said it was hot didn't you? So we're gonna go swimming."_

_In a matter of moments they were inside, the castle's indoor pool offering a cooling atmosphere. Reina panicked, struggling to get out of Ayato's hold, not caring how undignified she looked._

_"Ayato I don't want to-"_

_It was too late. He had already thrown her struggling body into the pool. She sunk down, before slapping at the water, creating quite the scene. "Ayato!" she pleaded, struggling to keep her head above the water, "Please!" she stuck out her hand, trying to reach him, "I can't swim!"_

_His eyes widened with realization, never even considering the fact that his sister couldn't swim, and immediately grabbed her hand to pull her out. The moment he did, however, Reina latched onto his forearm, grabbing him with her other hand, a sneaky smile on her face as they locked eyes._

_"Ba-ka." She teased, and pulled him in with her._

_It wasn't long before the two were engaged in an all-out war, splashing the water in every direction, laughing and screaming and trying to playfully drown each other._

_"Just what do you two think you are doing?" Reiji's sharp voice cut through the echoes of laughter, and despite not having particularly raised his voice, it was enough to make Reina and Ayato stop immediately._

_"We're so sorry." Reina spoke quickly, apologizing for the both of them, making her way out of the pool, her clothes drenched. Ayato, however, stayed in the water, casually floating about. "I'm not. Don't group me with your kind, Onee-san."_

_Reiji's eyes were cold and sharp as he watched Reina get out of the water. "I expect such actions out of Ayato, but certainly not from you."_

_Reina bowed her head, her clothes dripping water onto the floor. The only sounds heard were the soft waves caused by Ayato's strokes and the water of Reina's dress hitting the tile. "It was just a little fun, Reiji." She said innocently._

_Reiji's chest clenched uncomfortably. They weren't children anymore. She should know better than this. Was she aware of how she looked? With the fabric of her dress sticking to her skin, the water heavily weighing down her lashes. It made them thick and bold, framing her brown eyes just so. It was a dangerous thing, eyes like that._

_But it was distasteful, the way her clothes now clung to her body. It made her look like a lewd woman. For a brief moment, Reiji's eyes flicked downwards, before shooting back up again._

_"Kindly dry yourself before you enter the castle. To leave droplets of water in your wake would be incorrigible."_

_She nodded, running to fetch a towel, her clothing stretching and sticking to her skin as she did so._

_"You too, Ayato."_

_He whined, floating in the water, "Ah, Reiji, you're no fun."_

_"Ayato," Reina called calmly, "Do as he says."_

_"Tch." With an annoyed grunt Ayato climbed out of the pool, glaring at Reji._

_Reina excused herself, wrapping herself in a towel, trying to drain the excess water from her clothes. Embarrassed, she left without saying much more._

_"Dry off," Reiji said strictly, before turning to leave, "You'll ruin the carpet otherwise."_

_"Oy, Reiji." Ayato said his name seriously, different from his usual taunting tone. Reiji shot him a questioning look._

_"When are you gonna tell her?"_

_He sighed, and pushed up his glasses, "You must learn to speak more precisely. I know neither who you are speaking of, nor to what you are referring."_

_"Reina you idiot!"_

_"Your insults prove just how simple minded you are."_

_Ayato shook his head in disapproval, clenching his fists. "I think…if it came down to it...if you just tried-"_

_"What nonsense are you spewing out now-"_

_"Don't play dumb! You know exactly what I'm talking about!"_

_Reiji flinched slightly, but whether Ayato noticed or not was completely unknown. He sighed, "She knows her place, Ayato. And I mine."_

_"You're a goddamn piece of shit, Reiji. Not doing anything when you know-"_

_"She will marry Shu. That has long since been decided."_

_Ayato scoffed. "Ha. You're really ok with that? You know what's bound to happen soon. He's a man after all-"_

_"I'm well aware of the possible relations between a man and a woman-"_

_"And you're ok with that?"_

_Reiji clenched his fists. "We will no longer speak of this. Not everything is solved through capricious banter-"_

_Ayato laughed, holding his stomach. "Goddamn. I feel sorry for her. Stuck between a guy who does nothing but sleep and another with his head so far up his own ass he can't even-"_

_"Ayato."_

_He glared at him._

_"For her sake, enough."_

_Ayato pouted like a young child. "Well it's a lot like you to fuck it all up anyway. Best chance she has is running away from this goddamn place."_

_They both knew that was well beyond her though. Reiji pushed up his glasses, "Though I doubt she would do so, I hope you will not fill her head with such insolent ideas."_

_"Heh. Why? You want her to stay right?"_

_"Ayato."_

_"I wouldn't want her to leave either but…she's not happy. I mean, shit, none of us are, but-"_

_"Dry off. We have father's dinner tonight. I will not have you looking so ghastly."_

_"Oy! I'm trying to be serious for once! Don't fucking push me away like I'm some sort of kid-"_

_"You **are** a child. And until you begin to act your age I will not refrain from treating you as such. What Reina does is not your concern, nor is it for you to decide."_

_Ayato grumbled to himself, snatching a towel to roughly dry his hair. As Reiji walked away he couldn't help but think of him as a complete and total joke. Their whole fucked up family was nothing but a joke._

_Over the years, Ayato had watched the light that used to shine so brightly in Reina's eyes slowly go out. And for the most part, he blamed Shu._

_Reina wasn't happy. He knew that. Everyone knew that. Not that he exactly **cared** per say. But he did. They'd grown up together. It was hard not to. Especially where there was no reason for her to be this miserable. He and his brothers were all tied together, sharing this godforsaken hellhole because they were all Sakamaki's. But Reina had no part in that._

_She didn't exactly have a choice, because of her mother, and because of Karlheinz, but she did have some sort of way out. Ayato wondered if she'd take advantage of that before it'd be too late._

_He knew she probably wouldn't._

_Really, Ayato didn't understand Reina. She was better than Shu, that much was apparent to everyone. And really, if she wanted, she could have her pick of any of the brothers. Ayato got the feeling that someone would be Reiji. If it came down to it, that is. But he also got the feeling that would never happen. Because their father had said so. Not to mention that bitch Henrietta would go on a goddamn rampage if Reina married anyone other than the heir._

_Ayato hated that woman. Almost as much as he hated Cordelia._

_He had never really liked her to begin with. Even when they were younger, that woman had always given him creepy chills. It made him wonder how someone like Reina could be related to someone like that. It freaked him out._

_Reina was too nice for her own good. And she wasn't strong enough yet to fight back. He wasn't sure how she'd make it in the demon world on her own. She'd get eaten alive, being that nice._

_That's why he had to protect her. Because if he didn't then no one else would. Shu had proven to be useless. Reiji even more so, since he was too busy kissing Karlheinz's ass._

_That pissed Ayato off the most. The megane was always whining and moaning about Shu and blah blah blah, but he never did anything about it. It was such a waste. If Reiji really wanted to, he could just kill Shu. It'd be easy; the bum was always sleeping anyway._

_But if he did, Ayato guessed, the man they called their father would probably kill Reiji._

_So things stayed the way they were. Because Karlheinz wanted it that way._


	8. Chapter 8

_In the end, Reina did go to her mother for advice. The moment the words left her mouth, she knew she not have said anything at all._

_Reina took the beating silently, trying her best not to react._

_"You will do damn well what he wants you to!"_

_"But mother-"_

_"Do you think you're irreplaceable? I didn't think I had raised such a conceited daughter!"_

_"Why can't I just ask him to wait a little more-"_

_Her face was smacked once again._

_"Have I taught you nothing? What is the utmost important rule?"_

_"A good wife will make her husband happy." Her voice trembled._

_"Get out of my sight," her mother shook her head, putting a hand to her temple, "You've disappointed me."_

_Reina got up shakily, her muscles sore._

_"Take some sort of remedy. I will not have the heir gazing upon an abused body."_

_"Yes mother."_

* * *

 

_"It'll be fine," he smiled at her, "Don't you trust me?"_

_Her heart pounded and she remembered her mother's words. "Of course I trust you," she said tenderly, "It's just…" she tried to form the words carefully, trying her best not to disobey either her mother or Shu's desires. "I'm really nervous. I'm not so sure I'm ready-"_

_He kissed her lips and her heart filled with dread. This was…going to happen. She did her best to kiss him back, to lose herself in the moment. But this was nothing like how she'd imagined it to be. She did love him of course, she was almost sure she did. So why did she feel so strange about it?_

_"Hey," he kissed her cheek sweetly, "I'll take care of you." She knew he meant it, and she nodded, trying to drown everything out._

_The first time had been awkward. Somewhat painful. Not fully unpleasant. It was the only way Reina could describe it. Afterwards, Shu had fallen promptly to sleep. She tried to stay, to curl up next to him, to fall asleep herself. But it was of no use. So instead, she took a bath, and returned to her room. She didn't like the lump that had formed in her throat. Unable to stay in her room any longer, she went out to roam about the halls._

_She was surprised (though she shouldn't have been) to hear the bickering of two women. One voice she instantly recognized to be her own mothers. As she got closer, she realized the other belonged to Cordelia._

_"Don't make me laugh! You honestly think you have any sort of power? As soon as Ayato becomes King, I'll make sure you and your whore of a daughter never step foot in this castle again."_

_"A whore, you say? My, my Cordelia, it appears you've failed to look in the mirror."_

_Cordelia laughed cruelly. "Is there anything wrong with enjoying myself? Sampson never complained-"_

_"If you think that bothers me in the slightest then I truly pity you."_

_Reina inhaled sharply. Had Cordelia truly been involved with her father? Of course, conversations such as these were not so uncommon in the Sakamaki Castle._

_"It does, though. I know it does~ It's why women don't like me."_

_"It's not just women, my dear, trust me on that."_

_Reina crouched behind the wall, trying her best to not be noticed, thinking it best to leave now._

_"I'm going to kill you," Cordelia said easily, "And your daughter too. And then-"_

_"This conversation is no longer private."_

_Cordelia made a confused sound, and before Reina had a chance to run, she was yanked by the arm, being tossed to the ground. "It's **rude** to eavesdrop!" Henrietta snapped._

_"Forgive me, I didn't mean-"_

_Henrietta's foot met Reina's chest, and for a moment she thought she heard her bones crack. Cordelia cackled loudly, "It seems maybe you'll save me the trouble, Henrietta," then, leaning down a bit, wagged her finger at Reina, "Good girls don't get into trouble, nfu~"_

_A few more kicks and Henrietta left her daughter, whimpering and trembling on the floor. "Do **not** embarrass me in such a way again."_

_Reina shook, wondering just what had triggered such a severe response from her mother. Cordelia was always making empty threats like that. There was no reason to become so blindly angry. She didn't understand, and with labored breaths, sat up slowly. Her body ached in more ways than one. She didn't think that the day she became a woman, she'd be resigned to suffer a beating as well. It only made everything all the more painful._

_The light from the full moon entered through the large windows, soothing her softly. She sighed. One day, things would be different. Things would be different and then she'd be happy. She would marry Shu, and they would make love the right way, and no one would hit her, and she'd be happy._

_Tears slipped from her eyes, but she didn't know if it was in want of her fantasy or in pity of her current reality. With shaking legs, she stood up, and slowly made her way through the labyrinth of the castle, up the long winding stairs to the roof._

_She sprawled out, letting the light of the moon shower her form, taking slow, deep breaths. The cool wind dried her tears, and for a long while, she stayed just like that, briefly wondering what life might be like if she had been born a human._

_"It seems I'm not the only one with a hiding place."_

_Reina flinched slightly, upon hearing his voice, and quickly smoothed out her skirt, making her way to stand up._

_"There's no need for that." He yanked her back down, so that they both sat on the rooftop, watching the full moon._

_"Well it's quite improper for you to see me in such a way-"_

_"Tch. Like anyone here gives a damn."_

_She sighed, giving into her brother's words. "It's so bright today." She said casually, fixating her eyes on the moon._

_"Where'd she hit you?"_

_"I beg your pardon?"_

_"No use in hiding it Onee-san. You only come up here after-"_

_"It's rude to make assumptions. I simply wanted to look at the moon."_

_Ayato tore at the collar of her dress, pushing the fabric down._

_"Ayato!" she quickly tried to stop him, but it was too late. He had already seen the purple blotch that covered her shoulder._

_"You need to tell that bitch to stop. You're a grown ass woman."_

_"Very well. I will as soon as you tell your mother to stop."_

_"Heh." Ayato stretched out, resting on his elbows, "I'm thinking maybe I'll kill her," he yawned casually, "Something tells me Laito will beat me to it though."_

_Reina stayed silent for a short while, before speaking up, "Do you think you're strong enough for that?"_

_He shrugged. "Don't know. It's worth trying." He looked up at the moon, before scoffing, "Aw, man, this is pissing me off."_

_Reina shook her head. "Perhaps it'd be best not to talk about it, for now."_

_"Fair enough." He yawned again, relaxing and closing his eyes. They stayed in each other's company for a long time, neither of them saying a word, enjoying the light of the moon shining down on them. Suddenly, though, Ayato sat up._

_"Hey, what if we ran away?"_

_She glanced at him, "Ayato?"_

_He leaned down, falling onto his back again, and rested his head on his hands. "Yeah, you and me. It's a full moon. We could fly, and they'd never catch us, and then you could just make me takoyaki for the rest of forever."_

_She laughed at that, realizing it had been far too long since she had genuinely laughed. "They'd find us, Onii-chan."_

_"Yeah, Shu probably wouldn't like me taking away his bride."_

_She shook her head, her knees still up to her chest, "No, I'm not sure he'd go through the trouble of it all."_

_"No?"_

_"All he does is sleep," she giggled sadly, "I doubt he'd notice if I left." She paused for a bit, staring off into nowhere in particular. "Reiji would, though." She added softly._

_Ayato's face paled. "Shit that'd be so much worse," then, in a voice imitating the second son, "Your actions have been quite deplorable. Abandoning the family for reasons as selfish as takoyaki."_

_Reina laughed out loud again, clapping her hands together, "You pull off a wonderful Reiji. I don't think I've ever heard you talk like that."_

_Ayato chuckled, "It sounds too stupid. That type of talk is meant for you and him."_

_She smiled at that, glancing up at the moon once again. "Yeah," she breathed, "I guess it is."_


	9. Chapter 9

_Reina had been in her room for most of the past three days. It was only logical for Reiji to be concerned. Perhaps she had some sort of ailment. If that was the case then she was being rather stubborn; surely she was well aware of his vast arrangement of medicines. Still, he dared not disturb her. It was not his place._

_That is, until Kanato came into the game room, bubbling with rage, tears straining down his cheeks._

_"I HATE her! Who does she think she is! I won't allow it! I won't!"_

_"Oy, the hell are you bursting into hysterics for?" Ayato shouted right back, shooting a dart at the target._

_Reiji sighed, pushing up his glasses. "Kanato, if you do not speak clearly we will fail to understand you."_

_"Reina!" he sobbed, "She refuses to make me sweets! She PROMISED! THE LYING-"_

_"Such a crybaby." Ayato muttered._

_"How dare you?!"_

_"If you would all settle down, please. It's quite apparent Reina is not feeling well."_

_Kanato sniffled._

_"I'll go see what's wrong with her," Ayato said, starting out of the room._

_"Ayato," Reiji warned, "it's clear that she does not want to be disturbed. Have enough decency to respect her wishes."_

_"Something's gotta be wrong! It's been days!"_

_"Leave her be, Ayato."_

_Ayato growled and left the room anyway, slamming the door behind him._

_Kanato cocked his head, holding Teddy close, "You're worried too, aren't you Reiji-san?"_

_Reiji pushed up his glasses and moved a chess piece across the board, "Reina is capable of taking care of herself."_

* * *

 

_Reiji knocked three times with no answer. "Reina." He called._

_Still nothing._

_At this he opened the door. It was simply too suspicious._

_She was sitting by the window, her back turned to him. It was the first time Reiji had ever seen her with her hair down, cascading along her back in loose golden-brown waves. It quite nearly took his breath away._

_"Reina." He said, clearing his throat._

_"Huh?" she looked up, snapping from her daze. "Oh, Reiji. It's just you."_

_He closed the door behind him. "It's quite unlike you to appear so depressed."_

_She scoffed. "Depressed? Hardly, Reiji." She let out a fake laugh, as though to prove him wrong, "It's as though you don't know me at all." She continued to look out the window._

_"If you have something you wish to say, then you should speak freely."_

_"It's nothing," she said nonchalantly, her eyes never leaving the glass, "I think I'd like to be alone for a bit."_

_Reiji nodded, finding her to be well enough. Whatever it was, she'd fix it on her own. He made to leave, but just as he turned around, he caught a particular scent that made his blood boil with rage. There was no denying it; the scent of a girl, and the scent of a woman were two **very** different things. He strode up to her, grabbing her wrist roughly, his eyes flashing red. He didn't stop to think; his instincts had simply taken over. "Did he touch you?"_

_She stared at him in shock, unable to say anything. "R-Reiji!"_

_"Did he touch you!" he repeated, shaking her wrist._

_"You will let me go!" she tried to yank her arm away, "You have no right to lay your hands on a lady in such a way!"_

_Reiji quickly let go, his mouth dry, staggering back, trying to come back to his senses. That was horribly unlike him. What was he doing? "F-Forgive me," he swallowed, "I acted out of-"_

_"If you have no more business then kindly get out of my room."_

_"Reina-"_

_She shot him a pleading glance, and in it he understood perfectly well. She had now realized the same pity he had become aware of so long ago. He nodded, and excused himself from the room._

_The moment the door clicked shut behind him, he heard her quiet sobs. It took all he had to not open the door again. But, he reasoned, he had never been the comforting type in the first place. He wouldn't exactly know where to begin. Besides, comforting Reina should be the good-for-nothing's responsibility. She belonged to him fully now, after all. Reiji clenched his fists, fueled by anger and not much more. He pushed up his glasses, trying to clear his head._

_He had more important things to worry about. His own responsibilities. His own very important goal. With that in mind, it gave him the strength to walk away._

_Inside the bedroom, Reina didn't know why she started crying so suddenly, but the tears simply wouldn't stop. There was nothing she could do. It was as though someone were drowning her, her choked sobs the only way she was able to breathe. The past few days had been such a blur. She hadn't seen Shu in all that time. Or even Ayato, for that matter. In fact, the only one she had really seen was Reiji, just now._

_But she had locked her door, hadn't she? How did he get in?_

_Well, that didn't matter. Nothing mattered._

_She wiped her tears, feeling stupid for crying in the first place. She washed her face, changed, and put her hair up. Gazing at herself in the mirror, the only description she could give herself was 'empty.'_

_She splashed more water on her face, and gave a low growl._

_That was quite enough of that, she thought to herself. No use in wallowing in pity. And pity for what, really? There was nothing to feel bad about. Shu loved her enough to be intimate. Surely she should be happy. And their marriage would soon be a reality. Her happy ending was due, soon._

_Yes, she thought, soon._

_With a deep breath, she tugged at the handle of her bedroom door, enjoying the coolness of the hallway before her. She wondered where she might go first. Briefly, she considered trying to go find Shu, but quickly realized that he would more than likely be asleep. So instead, she found herself heading towards the music room._

_" **I** gave birth to the eldest son, not **her.** "_

_Reina shrunk away timidly, hiding behind a wall. Beatrix often muttered to herself, if one listened closely. For all her elegance and grace, it was not enough of a barrier when it came to Cordelia. Reina bit her lip sympathetically. She knew the feeling a bit too well. Cordelia had a way of… **ruining** people. For a moment, Reina wondered if she should reach out to Beatrix, to tell her that she had and was doing a wonderful job. That her two sons were enough to make anyone rightfully jealous. But it was not her place. So she stayed quiet. Her words might be taken the wrong way, in any case. One had to be careful, in situations such as these._

_So instead, she continued along her way, finding the music room to be empty. Before she could protest, her legs were carrying her towards the piano._

_In truth, she hated the piano. But it was a necessity, for a lady to have musical talent of some sort. More importantly, it complimented Shu's violin. At quite a young age, she had also begun voice lessons; yet another thing she was not very fond of. Sometimes though, she would get into a certain mood, and the piano would call to her, and she'd have no choice but to comply. Which is why now, she sat before the grand instrument, her fingers gliding gracefully, quiet hums escaping her throat. "Who told you so, dilly dilly who told you so? Twas my own heart dilly dilly-"_

_"That told me so~"_

_"Laito!"_

_"Reina-chan~" he hummed, "You have such a **lovely** voice."_

_"It's nothing special." She shook her head, returning her attention to the shining ivory._

_"Let's have a duet!" he announced, taking a seat next to her, his fingers brushing the keys, trilling a quick scale. She looked at him warily, but he encouraged her to go ahead. She inhaled, before pressing her fingers to the keys and voicing the lyrics, "Lavender's green dilly dilly lavender's green…"_

_"When I am King dilly dilly you shall be Queen."_

_"Who told you so, dilly dilly who told you so?"_

_"Twas my own heart, dilly dilly," he lowered his lips to her ear, "That told me so."_

_She shrunk away. "Laito, honestly."_

_He kissed her cheek. "Hey, don't you get tired of Shu?"_

_"Excuse me?"_

_He leaned in, flashing a charming smile, "I could show you new things."_

_She scrunched up her features, backing away slightly. "I do hope you're joking."_

_He licked his lips, "Is there anything wrong with wanting to show my sister how much I love her?"_

_She slapped his cheek. "That's not what love is, Laito."_

_He giggled, bringing his hand up to his now pink face. "Oh, Reina, I didn't take you for the seme-type."_

_She held a defiant expression. Laito whined. "Aw, don't look at me like that. Just what do you think love is?"_

_She returned to her piano playing, "I believe we have very different definitions."_

_"Nfu. When it boils down to it, it's nothing but a pleasure give and take."_

_"Laito," She looked up at him and cupped his cheek, kissing the opposite side, "What that woman gives you is not love."_

_He blinked a few times, before he backed away from her. "Tch." He scoffed, smiling wryly and standing up. "This got boring," he admitted darkly, adjusted his hat, "Ciao, Reina-chan~"_

_He was gone just as suddenly as he had appeared. Reina exhaled shakily, carefully pushing down each note, as though it were a precise calculation. Without wanting to, her breathing hitched, and her hands began to shake._

_Something didn't feel right. She couldn't help the awful premonition that gripped her chest. At first, she attributed it to her depressed state, but quickly realized that this was different. It was like an uncanny aura that had abruptly draped itself over the entire Sakamaki castle._

_"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." She muttered softly to herself._


	10. Chapter 10

_Beatrix was dead._

_A vampire hunter, or so they said. Henrietta followed soon after. Suspiciously so. Also a vampire hunter, apparently._

_But then again…_

_Well. Things were not always as they seemed._

_Shu retreated even further, as could be guessed. But Reina was particularly surprised at the fact that Reiji also seemed to be retreating. She'd see less and less of him. Whether it was out of shock, or anger, she did not know. But she could do nothing to fix it. Shu turned to his sleep, Reiji turned to the confines of his lab, and Reina was left alone, for the most part._

_She didn't know if what had happened simply hadn't quite processed through her mind, but the fact of the matter was that Reina was entirely numb to the incident. When the news came that her mother had died, her initial thoughts were: 'Oh. Pity.'_

_More than anything she felt worse about Beatrix. She was perhaps the only one that Shu still listened to with an ounce of respect. Well, Beatrix and Karlheinz of course. Only a complete and utter fool would go against Karlheinz. And yet he would have to, soon. Kill him and take his place as the next King. Where he would get the motivation to do something like that, especially with Beatrix gone, she didn't know._

_Reina sighed. Cordelia seemed to be in rather chipper spirits. Richter was as glum and suspicious as ever. That man always had such a bizarre air about him. Reina did her best to avoid him, even in childhood._

_"My **deepest** apologies for your mother." He had said one day._

_She clenched her fingers around her book, recalling the incident. The way he said it didn't appeal to her. Though his expression was rather dark and full of pity, his eyes held something else._

_Guilt, was what her instincts told her._

_But that was a grave accusation. And besides, Richter seemed to hold a deep sense of guilt and regret no matter what the situation. A result of growing in the shadow of one such as Karlheinz, no doubt. What an awful thing that must be, Reina thought. A young sapling, unable to get it's fill of light because it lives in the shade of its superior._

_Suddenly though, she was pulled from her thoughts as Reiji entered the parlor._

_"Oh. Hello Reiji." she said politely._

_He seemed surprised to find her there, but quickly recovered, clearing his throat._ _"You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you."_

_Reina's eyes widened in shock, quickly glancing up to look at Reiji's face, her heart beating fast for reasons she didn't understand._

_"I-I beg your pardon?"_

_He motioned to her book with his hand, "Are those not Mr. Darcy's lines? I thought perhaps you had that book memorized by now."_

_She glanced down to her open book, coming back to her senses, "Oh, yes. Yes, of course. It's one of my favorites."_

_"I don't see why."_

_She smiled, "He loves her, despite everything."_

_"You realize it's a book about climbing the social ladder, don't you?"_

_She shook her head, "It's a love story, first and foremost."_

_"Honestly," he pushed up his glasses, "Willingly filling your own head with such silly fantasies."_

_"You don't believe in love, Reiji?"_

_He stole a glance at her, before straightening his posture, "I believe in having a deep regard for someone."_

_She smiled, "Wouldn't you say that's almost the same thing?"_

_"Not quite."_

_Reina cleared her throat awkwardly, deciding it'd be best to change the topic. "Was there something you needed?"_

_"Not in particular. I was merely stretching my legs. However," he said, pulling out his pocket watch to check it, "Dinner will be set in an hour. Everyone is expected."_

_She nodded and smiled, "Yes, of course. I'll be there."_

_He returned her nod, and then left, letting Reina return to her book. In her solitude, however, her mind began to wander once again. Reiji seemed back to normal, at least for now. Keeping up appearances and schedules. It was all one could do, after all. Continue as though nothing had happened at all. Smile and nod, smile and nod. It was rather amusing, really. And briefly, Reina laughed. Given the chance, it would have escalated to tears. But luckily, or rather, **unluckily,** she was interrupted yet again._

_"What are you doing here?" that cold voice sneered._

_Reina jumped in her seat._

_Cordelia cackled. "A weak woman like you…how you'll manage to carry on our name is a wonder. Especially with that flat chest and boring face."_

_Reina had learned a long time ago to just walk away, and got up to do so, but the damn woman was persistent._

_"Oi, where are you going? How dare you ignore **me** , the daughter of the Demon King?" Cordelia reached out and pulled on Reina's hair, practically dragging her down to the floor. Reina's hands went to her head, yelping at the burning sensation of her hair nearly being ripped off. Again, Cordelia laughed. "You act so special. If it weren't for him, you'd be nothing. Our family is doomed if all we have is this pathetic excuse for a woman."_

_"The only pathetic excuse of a woman is you, Cordelia." Reina replied smoothly, adjusting her hair and fixing her dress, brushing herself off. She'd be damned if Cordelia thought she'd give in so easily._

_But the woman continued to giggle cheerily, "Oh, do you think so? That's amusing, coming from vermin like you. You're just like your mother, that gold digging-"_

_Granted, Henrietta was not a prime example of what a mother should be. Her mannerisms were not something Reina aspired to imitate. But Reina did have a certain amount of respect left for her mother, and for the dead in general. And on her honor, she wouldn't let this woman smear her name in such a way. "Your composure is appalling. I understand now why Karl married again so quickly. For even a man like him to get bored so soon…I wonder, Cordelia, is that why you keep Richter so close?"_

_Cordelia snapped, "Listen here you little bitch-"_

_"I am the wife of the next Vampire King. I outrank you in every respect, and Karlheinz fawns on the image of Shu's marriage to me. If you think for one moment that I will **ever** feel threatened by a whore, then you are deeply, and sorely mistaken."_

_"A whore? Ha! At least I know how to use my body-"_

_"Then I wonder why, it seems, that Karlheinz consistently chooses Christa over you?"_

_Reina was slapped. It didn't hurt in the slightest. She had long ago acquired a unique tolerance to pain. Again, Reina found herself laughing. "I pity you, Cordelia. I really do."_

_"Do you honestly think-"_

_"Reina."_

_Cordelia's lips pursed as Subaru entered the parlor, but they quickly slipped into an elaborately fake smile. "Oh, look who it is. Subaru-kun~ how's mommy dearest?"_

_Subaru clenched his jaw, his hands forming into fists at his sides. "Reina," he repeated, "Shu wants you."_

_"I'll be right there."_

_Cordelia cackled as the pair turned their backs to her. She followed them out of the room, insisting on having the last word. "Be careful, Reina darling. It seems vampire hunters are on a rampage~"_

_The threat unsettled her more than it should have. It was not the first time Cordelia threatened to kill her, or drown her, or set her on fire. But with both Beatrix and Henrietta dead, Reina couldn't help but be a little uneasy._

_"You'll be fine." Subaru grunted, once they were far enough away._

_She glanced up at him, practically forgetting he was there. "Oh. Yes. Did Shu actually need me?"_

_"No."_

_She nodded understandingly. "S-Subaru…you don't think-"_

_"Probably."_

_Reina nodded absent-mindedly. So it wasn't just her. Everyone was thinking the same thing. Henrietta's death had been no accident._

_"Maybe you should leave." He suggested._

_"I can't leave." She retorted almost immediately._

_"Because of him?" he looked at her curiously._

_She hesitated, "Because of…all of you…"_

_"Tch."_

_Reina bit her lip. "Well…I should probably be finding Shu anyhow. He's been even more secluded than usual."_

_Subaru gave an annoyed nod, and the pair went their separate ways._

_Reina knew the moment she stepped into Shu's room, they'd have sex. It had become the easiest way to escape for him. Their intimacy had merely replaced what Shu would do as a child—run into the forest to avoid everything. It was who he'd always been. And right now, Reina didn't mind escaping either. She needed to indulge in forgetting, if only for a few moments._

* * *

_Laito was panting above his mother, his face twisted in a smile._

_"Laito~" she purred, "You're such a good boy…"_

_"And you're a devil of a woman." He said, licking the nape of her neck._

_She giggled. "Shall I tell you a secret?"_

_He glanced at her curiously, falling at her side, his chest still rising and falling to fill his lungs, though he didn't pull away from her skin. "Hm?"_

_"I killed her."_

_"Nfu. We all knew that." He continued to suckle her neck._

_"But I'm not done yet. I want to get rid of that scraggly daughter of hers."_

_His head perked up, "Reina?"_

_She growled, "The name alone sets me on edge. Laito? My darling. You'll kill her for me won't you?"_

_He chuckled, "Why can't Richter do it?"_

_She cupped his cheek, her eyes wide and pleading, "You're closer to her. I know you can do it. Nee? Laito-kun?"_

_He smiled, kissing her deeply, "Killing a worthless woman…where's the benefit in it?"_

_"She bothers me." Cordelia hummed thoughtfully._

_"Fufu. Is that jealousy I smell?"_

_She looked away demurely, "You'll do this for me, won't you?"_

_"As you wish."_

_"Good boy."_

_Laito redid his pants shortly after, and quietly left the room. Cordelia never let him linger after they had one of their rounds. It was why he usually tried to leave as much of his clothing on as possible, so that it would catch her scent, and he could indulge in it a little longer. But he was hardly able to enjoy it, what with the task she'd set before him._

_Kill Reina…it'd be easy enough. The poor thing wasn't suspicious of anyone. He was also stronger than her, so even if she struggled there wouldn't be much effort required. He could do it. Quickly and swiftly._

_But it was not something he had a particular interest in. It felt like such a waste. All that trouble to kill a girl like her…there'd be no fun in it. Maybe if he played with her a bit before…_

_Laito laughed to himself. Now **that** was appealing. Just thinking of what sorts of sounds she would make was getting him hard all over again. He bit his lip, trying to contain the sensual images flashing through his mind._

_But suddenly, he stopped. Reina's death wouldn't come without a vengeance. He'd have Ayato and Shu to deal with. Not to mention the virgin megane. He groaned inwardly. That seemed like more trouble than it was worth. But…if it made Cordelia happy…_

_Of course, he could just kill Cordelia. He giggled once again. Then she'd finally be his, and no one else's._

_He blinked a few times, hardly breathing, his eyes widening with realization and his pupils darkening with intention. That wasn't a bad idea at all..._

_But she was strong, the bitch. He wouldn't be able to do that on his own. Unless..._

_Laito smirked to himself. There was a certain brother who was **all** too easy to rile up._

_Immediately he set off to look for Ayato. As he searched through the castle, he brought the sleeves of his shirt up to his nose, Cordelia's scent acting as a source of motivation. After each inhale, he sighed romantically, drowning in his own perverted fantasies. It didn't last long, though. As might be imagined, Laito found his brother rather easily. The redhead was lounging in the kitchen, shoving who knows what into his mouth. Typical._

_"Oy. Ayato."_

_"The hell do you want?" he sneered._

_"If you're going to do it, do it now." A smile creeped onto Laito's lips, as he took a piece of takoyaki from Ayato's plate, and popped it into his own mouth._

_"The fuck is that supposed to mean?"_

_He shot him a deadly glare. "You know what I'm talking about."_

_Ayato scoffed, "Since when do you care?"_

_Laito giggled, "Ti-ming, ti-ming." He turned to leave, but Ayato grabbed his arm, "What do you know?"_

_Laito's expression dropped, but inside he was bubbling with joy. Ayato was a bit too easily to manipulate. "Do you think she'd be satisfied with Henrietta alone?" he asked._

_Ayato released the hold on Laito's arm, stepping back in shock, "Onee-san…"_

_The smirk that now claimed Laito's lips was undeniable. It really had been all too easy. Laito tried to contain his excitement, the flittering rush consuming his mind like a poison. If Ayato was willing to do the dirty work then that was fine with him. All he had to do was be the one to finish her off. The thought alone made his heart palpitate with pleasure. He cocked his head, smiling at his brother. "Nfu. Don't say I didn't warn you~"_


	11. Chapter 11

_"Ayato! Ayato what-"_

_"It's over." He said darkly, wiping his mouth of excess blood. There was so much all over him though, that he succeeded only in smearing it._

_She had panicked. She didn't know what else to do. She didn't know if the blood was his own, or that of his mothers. Either way she had to help. Bandage him up, something. Seeing him like this…the severity of the situation, the odor of that woman's blood inundating every last bit of air…Reina was feeling sick._

_"We have to get you cleaned up, we have to-"_

_"No."_

_"Ayato." Her voice shook, everything slowly piecing together in her mind in painful bursts. She watched Ayato lick the blood on his hand, and his eyes flashed, before he quickly offered some to her. "Taste it. It's our victory drink." He cackled like a madman._

_She shook her head, trying to stop him, "I did nothing to-"_

_It had been too late. He had already smeared the thick velvet over her lips, and instinctively, her tongue drew it in. She felt her blood rush, her body excited with goosebumps. This taste…_

_She glanced at her brother, and she knew then that their expressions were most likely mirrored. It was blood of the finest quality, blood that ran through the Demon King's veins. It was powerful. Terrifyingly so. And with his bare hands Ayato had defeated this blood. Finally, he had become the best._

_As the taste of the blood faded, Reina inhaled quickly, as though coming down from a strange high. She'd never be able to forget that taste. That delicious poison that made her hungry. Looking down at her hands she believed them to be covered in blood, though they were not, and she nearly screamed. This was…_

_A living nightmare. She looked at Ayato again, desperate for some kind of solace._

_His eyes held something in them she had never seen before. Not crazed, exactly. Shining, perhaps. Glittering and catching the light. His fangs were perfectly visible, with that horrifying smile he had on. It was something she couldn't shake…would never be able to…and that taste…_

_Reina gasped, sitting up in bed, the images ever vivid in her mind. Her eyes were blinking quickly, trying to adjust to the sudden light as she tried to calm down her racing heart. That was when she realized Shu was standing in the doorway, looking at her with those clear eyes._

_"Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you."_

_She shook her head, putting a palm up to her forehead before looking back up at her husband to be. She smiled kindly. "No, I was just waking up anyhow."_

_Shu walked up to her, sitting on the edge of the bed, and held out a rectangular box. "It's today, isn't it?"_

_She blinked, thinking for a moment. Was it really November 18th already? "You remembered." She said, smiling whole-heartedly, taking the neatly packaged box into her hands._

_As she began to undo the packaging, her smile faded. It was a silly thing. A subtle thing. One she almost didn't notice. But the ribbon that held the little box together was cut perfectly straight across at the end. Closing her eyes as though to push the thought away, she undid the ribbon, and opened up the gift. Gasping softly, her eyes widened. She looked over at the blonde vampire, smiling politely. "Thank you, Shu."_

_He nodded._

_It was a beautiful necklace, no doubt about that. But the knowledge that Shu had not been the one to pick it out made the gesture a bit forced. "Will you help me put it on?" she asked._

_"Troublesome…" he muttered, though he did it anyway._

_A single pearl on a fine silver chain now claimed Reina's neck. Her fingers went to the shining bead, touching it ever so carefully. "I suppose I can wear it to the ball tonight."_

_"That old man and his parties," Shu groaned, "What's the point?"_

_"To lift spirits." She said encouragingly._

_"Tch."_

_Her smile had completely erased by now. He was right, though. Karlheinz didn't exactly care about how anyone was feeling. But throwing a grandiose event like this was a power play. It'd prove that despite the sudden deaths his family was still as strong as ever. And really, there was nothing wrong with that. Reina was grateful for the distraction. They hadn't held a ball in a long time._

_It also marked a new beginning. After this, the sons would be sent to live in a separate manor, away from the castle. Also a power play. They were getting older. Karlheinz was simply taking precautions. It wouldn't do to die before his time._

_"Do you think, after we've settled, perhaps we'll start thinking about the wedding?" she said softly._

_Shu fell back against her bed, closing his eyes. "Probably."_

_She bit her lip, "Will you propose?"_

_"We're already engaged." He murmured sleepily._

_When they were younger, Shu would propose all the time. Jokingly, playfully, sometimes a bit more seriously. And yet every time she would reply with that same answer he had just given. She didn't realize how hurtful an answer like that could be, until now._

_"Yes," she replied, "Of course."_

_Reina fiddled with her necklace, twirling the pearl between her fingers. She did not love Shu. She knew that now. She did, of course, have a deep regard for him. It was not as though she would be unhappy with him. But perhaps Reiji was right. Perhaps there was no such thing as love._

_But she refused to believe that. Or rather, she didn't want to. Maybe not all was lost, just yet. Maybe once they were married, once they were truly together—_

_Shu's soft and even breathing let Reina know he was asleep. She smiled weakly, and walked around the bed to kiss his cheek. He didn't even stir. She sighed, deciding she best leave him be. He'd need his rest for the ball tonight._

_So she began to walk towards the library, knowing that Reiji was probably there reading. She had to thank him for the gift, after all._

_As expected, he was buried in a book, his fingers flipping the page as she walked in. "A rather somber gift, but I shall thank you for it anyway."_

_"I'm afraid I have yet to present you with one." He said easily, not bothering to look up._

_"Oh, Reiji." She sighed, slumping down across from him. "We both know Shu doesn't bother with trivialities."_

_At this, he did look up, smirking, "My, my. What a rather low opinion of your fiancé. I'm sure he's more than capable." He said rather sarcastically._

_Reina narrowed her eyes at him, "The way you twist a phrase will never fail to impress me, Reiji-san."_

_"That much should be obvious."_

_"Will you allow me to thank you properly?"_

_"I've done nothing deserving thanks."_

_"Then may I ask, why a pearl?"_

_He glanced at her, then back down to his book, "I have no interest in analyzing Shu's reasoning. Perhaps you should ask him."_

_She sighed, admitting defeat. Reiji wouldn't budge on this, it seemed. Perhaps she'd need to do some research herself. She knew that pearls were traditionally given to brides, so that they did not cry on their wedding day. But that sounded rather morbid. Tears were often represented as pearls anyhow. She didn't understand, but she'd wear it nonetheless._

_"Onee-san!" Ayato burst into the room, followed closely by the other two triplets. Reina noticed Reiji growl in annoyance. "Onee-san!" he repeated happily, "Hurry! Ore-sama got you the best gift!"_

_"Ayato," Reiji scolded, "You are indoors and Reina is an arm's length away. There is no need to shout."_

_Ayato stuck his tongue out, though Reiji didn't notice, and instead, tried to tug Reina along. She struggled, nearly tripping over the hem of her dress skirt. "A-Ayato, wait-"_

_Kanato giggled softly, holding Teddy close, "How wonderful it will be, when she doesn't like it. It'll break Ayato's heart, ne, Teddy?"_

_"Shut it, Hysteria."_

_Kanato merely glared at him, "Do you wish to die today?"_

_Reiji closed his book with an audible thump, and sighed loudly, standing up to take the lead._

_"If we could all get through this quickly, please," he insisted, "There is much to be done today."_

_"Reina," Kanato looked up at her smiling, "I ordered Reiji to bake you a cake," he giggled boyishly, "It's in my favorite flavor. You must be so honored…"_

_She smiled kindly, bending down to kiss her younger brother, "If it's your favorite then it will be delicious." She insisted._

_"Reina-channnn," Laito whined, "Where's my kiss?"_

_"Oy, Hentai, enough of that weird shit."_

_Reina only giggled and kissed Laito's cheek as he wished. She was quickly pulled away by Reiji, however. "Punctuality is important, Reina. It will not do for us to linger in such a way." She nodded understandingly, and the group followed Ayato out of the room, listening to him jump and holler excitedly. Kanato grumbled to himself, muttering about how **noisy** it all was._

_Subaru was waiting for them all in the dining room, sitting at the table and looking rather bored. Reina gasped as she saw the cake. It was rather elaborate, for a group of people who didn't eat. But, she supposed, Kanato could probably finish it all by himself._

_"Onee-san!" Ayato shouted, shoving a tray into her face, the scent of takoyaki wafting through the air._

_"I wouldn't eat those if I were you." Subaru warned._

_"Oy!" Ayato snapped, baring his fangs. Then, turning to Reina, "Eat up."_

_With a weak smile and hesitant fingers, Reina brought a small sample up to her lips. She bit into it slowly, but quickly popped the whole thing into her mouth. "Ayato," she said, covering her mouth with her hand, "This is amazing!"_

_Too amazing, in fact._

_"Ha ha!" Ayato cheered, showing off to the other brothers, "Once again, Ore-sama is the best at everything!"_

_"I want to try one," Laito whined, reaching for the tray, "If Reina likes them then they must be de-li-cious~"_

_Reina giggled softly, catching Reiji's eye and mouthing a quick 'thank you.'_

_"Reina," Kanato said in a deathly quiet voice, "Shall we have some cake?"_

_"Most definitely." She agreed, walking past Laito in order to cut the delicious looking pastry._

_Ayato continued to shout about his superiority, demanding the first piece of cake for this reason._

_The giant commotion downstairs had woken the eldest brother, who tossed over on his side with a groan. He inhaled deeply, smiling at the familiarity of Reina's scent._

_That's right, he thought, slowly coming into realization, he was still in her room. He wondered if perhaps he should join his brothers downstairs. But that seemed like wasted effort. When they were all together the only thing that was gained was pointless argumentation. He sighed softly, feeling hopelessly tired. He had already given her the gift. He had no further obligations._

_"It will mean more coming from you." Reiji had told him earlier that morning._

_Shu knew that. He knew a lot of things. For example, he knew that his brother resented him. That he had been the one to set the fire on Edgar's village. That Reiji had feelings for Reina._

_All of this piled together was enough for anyone in Shu's position to hate the second son. And yet, he didn't. Shu wasn't sure why. Maybe he should have. But maybe the reason he didn't was just a lack of wanting to muster up the energy to care. He was the eldest, not Reiji. Nothing could be done about that. He was the one engaged to Reina, not Reiji. Nothing could be done about that either._

_Besides, blaming Reiji didn't solve anything. Shu knew everything was his own fault. Because people got too close to him. He had lost Edgar, his mother. He wondered if he'd lose Reina somewhere along the way. Most likely to Reiji. Maybe it'd be better off that way. When people stayed with him they only ended up broken._

_From the looks of it, she already was. But, so was he. And again, nothing could be done about that._

_Shu sighed._

_Reiji was not after Shu's title. He knew that. Reiji didn't want to be the heir. Shu could understand that well enough; it wasn't something he particularly wanted either. Being the heir meant killing Karlheinz in the not-so-distant future. Eventually, Shu knew he'd have to do it. But killing the old man wasn't something he was looking forward to. Maybe the triplets would band together and kill him instead. They'd killed that demon spawn of a woman after all…_

_Lost in thought, Shu slowly drifted back to sleep._


	12. Chapter 12

_Reina couldn't seem to find Shu anywhere. She twiddled with her mask, hoping it was on straight. But she was quite happy with her outfit nonetheless. For the first time in a long time, she had been the one to choose. It was a long burgundy gown which she believed complimented her eyes quite nicely. And her mask she chose in a matching shade, highlighting her features all the more. She looked about the room, still unable to find the blonde vampire. She did, however, notice Kanato by the dessert table, happily humming to himself from the looks of it. Reina nearly giggled, wondering if she should join him._

_"Reina-chan!~" Laito approached her, dawning a hand-held mask with a long beak and extravagant green feathers. Subaru was trailing behind him, looking nervous and out of place._

_"Oh, Laito!"_

_He took her hand and spun her around, causing her to laugh. "You look bee-yoo-tee-ful!"_

_"Thank you, Laito," she said graciously, smiling politely, "Your mask is rather luxurious."_

_"Nfu~ Do you think so?" He held it out to her, brushing her cheek with the feathers, "Don't they tickle?" he sighed in his romantic way, "It makes me excited just thinking about it! And just look at all the **gorgeous** women tonight." He let out a high pitched whine, putting his hand over his chest, "Ciao, Reina-chan, you're not the only beauty that needs my attention, fufu~"_

_She hardly had a chance to say her goodbye before he was off, stalking about the room like some sort of predatory animal. It almost made her laugh all over again._

_"So…wanna dance or something?"_

_"Subaru!" she smiled widely, turning to face him, nearly forgetting he was there. The boy was too quiet for his own good. Her smile quickly dropped, however, when she realized a key piece to his outfit was missing, "Where's your mask?"_

_"Tch." He looked away, grimacing, "They're fucking annoying. Getting in the damn way…how do you even see? Fucking-"_

_"Well you look handsome despite it." She said quickly, trying to soothe the sudden tension. That only made his face redden though, and he muttered a short denial, coming up with a sudden excuse to leave._

_"Oh no you don't, Mister." Reina said, reaching up to tug his collar gently._

_"Tch. Women like you are the worst." He grumbled._

_She giggled, "Come now, Subaru. You asked **me.** "_

_He grumbled at that, but let her lead him out onto the dancefloor anyway._

_"So tell me, how is everything?"_

_"Fine."_

_She shot him a doubtful glance. He let out another 'tch' and looked away from her. "How do you feel about the move?" she asked, genuinely curious about his opinion._

_"It's fine."_

_"Subaru…"_

_He tightened his grip around her waist, guiding her so that they spun around together gracefully._

_"It'll be connected to the castle. So I can still see…"_

_"I'm sure you're both happy about that." She smiled tenderly at him._

_"Mm." he affirmed._

_They danced a bit more, before a familiar voice cut through the crowd._

_"Mind if I cut in?"_

_Subaru stopped for a moment, before letting Reina go and stepping to the side. "All yours." He said, motioning with his hands._

_Shu gave a curt nod, before taking Reina's hands into his own._

_She gave him a warm and pleasant smile as he did so, "I was wondering when you'd show up."_

_He said nothing, and began to guide them across the floor in the expected movements and rhythms of the dance. Since he seemed intent on not talking, Reina decided to simply soak in his features instead. He looked so old, suddenly. His clear blue eyes were tired. And not from lack of sleep. There was something else, something much heavier weighing them down. Even behind his mask, the pain managed to shine through. After all these years, she wondered if it was truly possible._

_But what an elaborate emblem to hide behind, she thought. His mask split diagonally down the middle, one side with sheet music, the rest claimed by gold that caught the light when he moved his head just so. A beautiful mask for a beautiful man._

_This was when she became aware of just how much she had to crane her neck in order to see said mask. Shu was so **tall.** Now that they were close like this, she finally realized just **how** tall he was. It was a strange sort of thing to see, since he was always lying down. A rather ridiculous revelation, Reina thought, to only just now realize her betrothed's height._

_"This reminds me of when we were younger." She said suddenly._

_His blue eyes flicked about, examining her face. "How so?"_

_"There used to be so many balls back then. You hated all of those too," she giggled softly, "I'm afraid I was a bit too strict on you in those days. How about we have some fun now?"_

_He stared at her blankly, not knowing what she meant._

_"Oh, come on," she insisted, her voice incredulous, "You spin me around, and then I'll spin you around! It's a bit silly but-"_

_"We're not children anymore, Reina."_

_She blinked a few times, before lowering her gaze. Suddenly she felt as she had all those years ago. She had displeased the first son. She was in the wrong. She was failing. "Yes. Of course. Forgive me." She nearly added 'my lord' at the end of that sentence, but managed to stop herself._

_Suddenly, for some reason, eternity seemed like a really long time. She couldn't help but wonder if Shu would take on more wives, as Karlheinz had done._

_Wives that would realize what he needed sooner. That wouldn't fail. That wouldn't take fifteen years to come to terms with the fact that all Shu wanted was to simply have fun. By now..._

_It was too little, too late._

_The thought made her chest clench._

_"You look very beautiful." He said, after a long while._

_"Thank you." She presented him with a smile, but she knew his words to be nothing more than a simple formality._

_"The necklace suits you." He observed._

_"I'm glad it pleases you." She returned politely._

_As he nodded his head in response, the song ended, and the pair pulled apart._

_"I'll get some drinks." He said, rubbing the back of his head as though he were at a loss for what to do. She nodded and thanked him, before moving over to the edge of the room, so as to not disturb the other dancers. She was not alone for long, however._

_"What it must feel like, I wonder, to be the most beautiful woman in the room?"_

_She turned around, gasping and bowing deeply, "My lord!"_

_Her eyes fixated on the ground, her mind began to spin. She was not expecting Karlheinz to make an appearance. He rarely attended events as it was. For him to be at a simple gathering such as this one…perhaps this ball was more important than she had originally imagined it to be._

_Karlheinz took her hand in his, bringing her out of her bow before pressing his lips to the back of her palm. "You've matured most graciously, my dear."_

_"You're too kind, my lord." She said, lowering her head respectfully, grateful the mask was there to conceal her blush._

_"My son seems quite fond of you." He mused._

_"Hearing you say so is the highest of praises, my lord."_

_Karlheinz folded his hands behind his back, a charming smile on his face, "I'm afraid I'm not speaking of Shu, my dear."_

_She crinkled her features in confusion, before her lips cracked into a large smile, "Oh, yes. Well, Ayato and I are quite close. Though we don't share the same blood, he truly has become like a brother to me. I have you to thank for that, my lord."_

_The Vampire King chuckled at that, before humming thoughtfully. Reina wasn't sure what to make of it, but didn't have the chance to ponder it, as Shu joined them, drinks in hand._

_"Father." He acknowledged._

_" **Son.** " He replied cheerily. He looked like he had wanted to say more, but Reiji also happened to enter the circle just then, muttering a 'Father' of his own as a greeting._

_"Ah, Reiji! There you are. Why don't you indulge Miss Sampson with this next dance? There's something I need to discuss with my eldest son."_

_Reiji nodded his head respectfully, while Shu let out an irritated 'tch.'_

_Reina placed her hand in Reiji's, obeying the Vampire Lord's orders, and the two went out into the center of the room._

_"It would appear as though you **do** have dresses in more than just one shade of navy." He said with a teasing smirk._

_She laughed at that, shaking her head as the dance began. "Yes, well, I've always preferred this color anyway."_

_"It suits you." He complimented, "As does the necklace."_

_She smiled, "Thank you, Reiji."_

_He nodded, and the pair began to move; loosely, freely, naturally._

_"The Gillick women still have no sense of taste." Her murmured, as they floated about the room. Reina bit back a smile, before scolding him and telling him not to say such things. He brushed it aside though, insisting he was merely stating fact._

_He continued with his sly comments of the other couples in the room, and Reina didn't know why, but she laughed at every word._

_He spun her around before pulling her back in, and for a brief moment, they locked eyes._

_Reiji was rather intense in every sense of the word, especially with such piercing eyes. Even with the deep purple swirls that adorned his mask, it did nothing to blunt the fervor of his eyes. He'd need to find himself a strong woman, Reina thought, if they were to endure a gaze such as that one._

_But, then again, his eyes were not always so sharp. Just now, and in other rare moments when he allowed himself the pleasure of laughter, they'd soften around the edges. Reina smiled to herself just thinking about it, until she realized she had not seen Shu smile in a long time. How long had it been since they had last laughed together, the way she and Reiji were now?_

_He cleared his throat, pulling her from her thoughts, and Reina understood the song to be over. She muttered a quick 'oh' before quickly dropping her hold of him. "I, um," was she really stuttering, just now? "I think I'll go get a drink."_

_She quickly turned her back to him, feeling hopelessly strange. Out of habit, she looked around the ballroom, but couldn't seem to place Shu anywhere. Had he left already?_

_Karlheinz was chatting with some women of power over by the floral arrangements. Well, not exactly **talking.** Seducing seemed to be a better word. How easily that man could have anyone wrapped around his fingers, placed obediently into the palm of his hands. It was rather terrifying. Looking at him, Reina wondered what it was he had talked to Shu about. Was that why he was no longer here?_

_She bit the inside of her cheek, deciding it'd be best to just go grab some water. Even if he hadn't left, trying to find Shu in such a crowd would be wasted effort. Especially since chances were he was upstairs sleeping. So instead she made her way towards the refreshments, and was nearly there when she was stopped by Ayato._

_"Where's your boy?"_

_Reina looked at her brother, trying to shrug carelessly. "Who knows."_

_Ayato shoved a glass in her face. "You need this more than me."_

_"What is it?" she asked hesitantly._

_"Juice." He replied easily._

_She crinkled her features, "Juice?"_

_Ayato rolled his eyes, groaning and turning away, "Just drink it."_

_She swirled the liquid around, sniffing it suspiciously, but finding nothing to cause alarm; so she took a sip. She blinked in surprise, finding the taste sweet and pleasant, like a sparkling wine._

_She took another sip, a much larger one this time, and smiled as a strange rush began to consume her head. She suddenly felt **very** giggly. She glazed about the room, finding Ayato once again. She laughed when she nearly bumped into him, "This drink is delicious! Ayato! Where'd you find it? I'm almost out," she whined. Ayato's eyes widened, "You drank the whole thing?!"_

_"Almost!" she laughed loudly again, twirling about. "Oh Ayato look, look! She how my dress poofs up when I spin! Hehe woo…Ayato…Ayato the room is spinning…make it stop…"_

_"Oy." He grabbed her by the shoulders, "You're the one spinning you damn lunatic."_

_"Hehe I am aren't I?! It's so fun though! Ayato let me go, I want to spin some more."_

_"Ayato."_

_His blood ran cold and immediately he stopped, trying to hide Reina behind him. "Reiji." He replied smoothly._

_"What did you do to her?"_

_Reina poked her head out from beyond Ayato, flailing her arms about. "Reiji! Oh Reiji I'm so glad you're here! Reiji come spin with me!"_

_"Are you drunk?"_

_She laughed loudly. "Ladiess don't drink in excesssive amounts, thatss what Mother always s-said." She slurred her words slightly._

_He sighed, "Mattaku. I didn't think she'd go so far as to drink something so repulsive-"_

_"Oy, don't you know her better than that?" Ayato argued._

_"Ah, so you're at fault. That's hardly a surprise. Reina if you will follow me."_

_She nodded happily, nearly lunging for him, "Bye Ayato! Let me know if you find more juice!"_

_Ayato grimaced, his eye nearly twitching, feeling horribly uncomfortable at seeing his sister in such a way. He thought maybe it'd loosen her up a bit, so she'd finally agree to play pranks with him, but he didn't think she'd be like **that.** He'd have to add Vampire Juice to the list of things **not** to do._

_Reina hummed softly as she trailed behind Reiji, practically skipping down the halls. As soon as he opened the door to his lab, she dashed for the couch, nearly jumping on. She took off her mask, tossing it to the side and sighing happily. "What are we doing here?" she chirped._

_He walked over, looking down at her, "I will not have you embarrass this family."_

_She hummed, "Embarrass the family," she clicked her tongue, "No, no. That wouldn't do at all." She giggled a bit, though it seemed a bit forced, and soon enough her face became rather solemn._

_"I feel like crying." She told him, breaking the silence._

_He stood, unsure of what to say or do._

_"Reiji! Reiji come sit with me!" she giggled in a girlish way, patting the couch, her voice tinted with excited sadness._

_He did as she suggested._

_"You know what I've realized? I am nothing." She laughed again. "My whole life struggling to be the perfect wife and…" her laughter faded into tears._

_"You should get some rest. You are not feeling well."_

_"I don't want to sleep." She snapped._

_Reiji put a hand up to his temple, "Really, you would not be acting this way with a clear head. Go to bed before you embarrass yourself further."_

_She groaned. "You're so **mean** Reiji. But that's all," she motioned with her hands, circling his face, "that's not you. I'm the same way. Wearing that mask. I just didn't know mine was so fragile." She cackled. "I'm as fragile as a teacup. Drop it from not two feet and it will shatter completely. That's exactly as I am. Reiji. Oh Reiji. You're so much better at hiding than I am." She laughed again in that sad way._

_"You don't know what you're saying and you're slurring your words. I have some medicine if you wish-"_

_"Hey," she said softly, "Take this off. Take off your mask."_

_He noticeably swallowed, but did as he was told anyway, undoing the knot and then holding it in his hands, the ribbon falling down his pant leg._

_She smiled. "There, you see? Isn't that better?" She reached up with a gentle hand, and brushed his hair out of the way._

_"R-Reina-"_

_"Reiji," she breathed, almost sadly, "You have really nice eyes."_

_"You're drunk."_

_She leaned in and kissed him, brushing her lips against his._

_He was at a complete loss. Too many emotions he didn't know he had colliding into each other all at once. In this sudden movement his mask had fallen to the floor. He had to pick it up. He had to…to stop. But he couldn't. Too shocked to move, and yet his mind screeching at him to move, to do **anything** to stop her._

_It was everything he had ever wanted…but not…_

_Not like this._

_Even still she was the first to pull away, trailed by broken laughter, tears lining her eyes. "I thought so." She whispered. He sat bewildered, wondering what she meant by that. She looked up at him, the tears falling from her eyes and marking her cheeks. "Reiji," her voice cracked, "It's so cold." She fell into him, her face on his shoulder._

_In a matter of moments, she seemed to be asleep. With shaky hands, Reiji slowly patted her back, her soft breath on his shoulder. He did not know if he was doing this for her comfort, or for his own. As he stroked her hair, he indulged momentarily in the way it felt between his fingers. He swallowed awkwardly once again. She truly had fallen asleep._

_"What a troublesome woman you turned out to be." He murmured, linking his arms under her to pick her up. In his haste, he stepped on his mask, which shattered completely beneath their weight._

_He stared at it for a time, blinking, all the while holding a sleeping Reina in his arms. What a shame that was, he thought. Had she been awake, he believed she might have been quite happy, to see such a thing as that._

* * *

 

_Reina groaned, sitting up slowly, her head pounding._

_"You're up."_

_She gasped, seeing Reiji in her room. He looked tired; his tie hanging loosely around his neck, small bags under his eyes. They were both still in their attire from the ball. What exactly happened? Had he stayed with her all this time? The only thing that registered was the pain in her head._

_"Do you remember what happened?"_

_She thought a bit, wincing, "Ayato…gave me some juice?" she said, as though she were seeking confirmation._

_"After that. Do you remember anything else?" he seemed intent on this question, his sharp eyes piercing through hers._

_"No…" she groaned, putting a hand up to her head, "I feel sick."_

_With a look of—disappointment?—he handed her a cup with some strange liquid. She crinkled her features. "What is it?"_

_"Just drink it." He sounded irritated._

_She quickly did as she was told, not wanting to upset him any further, her heart pounding for reasons she couldn't understand. The concoction worked almost instantly, as she already began to feel her headache start to fade. "That's incredible." She murmured._

_He nodded, and, without another gesture or word, made to leave._

_"Reiji, wait!"_

_She lunged forward but quickly regained her composure, brushing her hair to the side._

_He stopped and turned around, facing her with an expression she had never quite seen him wear. It was…hopeful? Mixed in with a strange sort of embarrassment. Pleading, almost. Reiji, pleading? The way his eyes caught the light made them shine._

_She knew she must have done something horribly embarrassing, for him to be so cold with her. Bringing shame to the Sakamaki name was something Reiji had no tolerance for. And yet, he had taken it upon himself to soothe her suffering. Or at least, keep her out of trouble. She wasn't quite sure what events had played out. She'd have to make sure and ask Ayato about it. But for now, she was indebted to Reiji. She cleared her throat. "Thank you."_

_His eyes widened, before they receded into a rather blank expression. They looked so…dull._

_He nodded yet again, and yet again chose to say nothing, as he walked to the door, and shut it closed behind him._

_Reina sat in bed, staring at the door for a long time, as though he might come back._

_But he didn't._

_She swallowed awkwardly, feeling strange in more ways than one. Her hand felt warm. As though someone had been holding it._

_But that was absurd. She quickly effaced the thought. Reiji was not one to provide comfort in such a way._

_And yet…_

_He had stayed…_

_Her heart raced, and though she didn't know why, tears pricked the back of her eyes, so she shut them tight._

_It was probably just the effects of the drug, making her feel so bizarre._

_Yes, surely._


	13. Chapter 13

_"You're sure that's all?"_

_He shrugged, "You were just laughing. Maybe something happened after you two left. Hey, maybe you made fun of his glasses." He chuckled, putting his hands up to his face to mock him._

_"Ayato, that's not funny."_

_He grimaced, dropping his hands, "Yeesh. Who cares anyway?"_

_Reina bit her lip, "I don't know."_

_"It can't be that bad." He said, brushing the issue away, "You know how that Megane can be."_

_"He won't talk to me," she said, "I must have done something horribly-"_

_Ayato shot her a look, "You're not seriously worried are you?"_

_"How could I not be? He refuses to even look my way. The future wife should not conduct herself in such a way. Furthermore," she added, her voice darkening, "This is all your fault-"_

_"Don't bring me into this, Onee-san. Besides, the Megane'll talk to you. He can't help it, you know."_

_She crinkled her features, "What do you mean?"_

_He poked her cheek. "Ba-ka, baaa-ka."_

_She squirmed, backing away, "Stop that."_

_Ayato grinned widely. "Hey, how about we be roommates at the new house?" He said suddenly, abruptly changing the topic._

_She got a sinking feeling at the pit of her stomach, looking down at the ground._

_"Actually…Ayato. About that…"_

* * *

_When she entered her room, she was caught by the waist, practically tackled onto the bed. She would have screamed, but fear choked her voice._

_As blue eyes met her brown ones, her heart calmed down, returning to its regular steady pace. "Shu," she said exasperated, "You shouldn't-"_

_He kissed her in order to silence her, his cold fingertips trailing her cheek. She turned her head away, trying to catch her breath._

_"Shu, wait please,"_

_He held her wrists down, a smirk on his face. "Come on, we've done this before," he sucked on her neck, before sinking in his fangs, "I want to be warm."_

_Her body jerked at the sudden pain, her eyes squeezing shut. "Sh-Shu," she trembled, "There's something I need to tell you…"_

_"It can wait." He murmured in hear ear._

_"Shu-"_

_"Reina." His blue eyes were cold as ice, "I want you **now**."_

_She didn't know why such a panic gripped at her chest, but with all her strength, she successfully pushed him off, and quickly sat up on the bed, breathing quickly._

_"I can't stay here." She blurted quickly._

_He blinked at her, subtly pouting his bottom lip as he sat up as well. "Do you prefer my room?" he asked genuinely._

_"Shu," she placed her hand over his, her eyes feeling heavy, "I've been thinking, and," she pursed her lips, scared to look at his face, but eventually forcing herself to meet his gaze, "What if we went away? Just the two of us?"_

_"Went away?" he crinkled his features, "Where?"_

_She smiled a bit, trying to contain her sudden excitement, "Anywhere. We could travel and see-"_

_"That sounds troublesome." He admitted._

_She rested her hands in her lap, "Yes, well, we've never done something just the two of us. I thought-"_

_"Isn't that what the honeymoon is for?" he blinked apathetically._

_"Shu, what I'm really trying to say is…this is something I really want. For the first time ever we don't have our mothers to-" she cleared her throat, stopping mid-sentence, "I just want to get away. Only a short while."_

_"Go, then."_

_Her eyes lit up as a smile overcame her face, "Really, Shu? You mean it?"_

_He got up, placing his hands in his pockets, "I won't go with you."_

_"I-I beg your pardon?"_

_Those heavy blue eyes looked at her, and for a brief moment she felt weighed down, as though she would never be able to fly again, "You can go, if you want. But I won't go with you."_

_She reached out to him, taking a hold of his hand, her own hand trembling softly. "I know…" she exhaled, "I know there has been a distance between us. For quite some time now. But I will do my very best for you, Shu. I know we can be happy if…if we just try and close that gap-"_

_"I don't really see a distance." He shrugged casually, "But there'll definitely be one if you leave." He shook her off easily, not even bothering to close the door behind him as he left._

_Reina stood, shaking a lot harder than she had realized. That was impossible. He saw the distance just as well as she did. She walked over to her bed, sitting down, letting go of the breath she had apparently been holding in._

_Part of her wanted to throw the idea away entirely. After all, leaving now would mean postponing the wedding. Is that really what she wanted?_

_But…_

_If she didn't leave now, then she wasn't sure when she would ever be able to. Once they were married, her entire life would be devoted to upholding Shu's reign. Of course, it could be argued that her life was already dedicated to such a thing. But with the vows of the marriage it would be set in stone, for the rest of eternity._

_She bit her lip. Perhaps, once Shu saw that she was serious, he would go with her. Yes, surely he would. After all, she had never asked anything of him before. Certainly he'd indulge her just this once._

_Her heart sank, her legs feeling like lead. His eyes had been so cold, though. If he didn't agree to go with her, would she be able to leave on her own? She shifted uncomfortably on the bed._

_There had been talk of sacrificial brides. Karlheinz wanted his other sons married off as well. As it should be, of course. It would start as soon as the group moved into their new mansion. Reina found it a bit strange, but Karlheinz usually had some sort of dual purpose when it came to these things. Really, she wanted to be as far away from it all as possible. And she wanted Shu as far away from it as possible too. She wasn't sure why. The thought simply made her squeamish._

_She sighed, thinking that she needed a proper distraction. The library seemed like the best option. Walking down the hallways, she smiled to herself as she thought of Ayato. Perhaps with this new bride initiative, Ayato would finally find himself a girl who could handle his capricious bouts. The thought almost made her giggle._

_She entered the library without bothering to knock, assuming it to be empty. Only, Reiji was sitting on one of the couches, book in hand. She held her breath again, finding a strange tension in the room. "Ah, excuse me. Hello, Reiji-san."_

_He looked up, giving a brief nod and pushing up his glasses. She exhaled shakily, walking up to the bookshelf and picking a book at random. He still wasn't talking to her, it seemed. Was hardly looking at her, in fact. She wondered what it might take to have him recognize her once again. Book in hand, she went over to the couch opposite him, and began to read._

_Usually, the silence between them would be a pleasant one, as they both quietly enjoyed the worlds of their respective books. But this silence was stressful, full of anxiousness. Reina wasn't quite sure what to do about it. So she did nothing, and instead quietly tried to lose herself in the words on the page._

_After what felt like an eternity, Reina realized she had only gotten through ten or so pages. She decided a new book was in order. Something with perhaps a bit more adventure, and not so dry. She got up from her seat, inhaling sharply with strange and new determination._

_Reiji watched her walk slowly to his bookshelf, scanning the selection, her fingers subconsciously placed on those delicate lips. She was rather short, at least when compared to him. Her small frame looked even smaller when placed in front of such an immense wall of books. She reached her hands out, having made her choice, but just as her fingers brushed the spine, she pulled back. His eyes widened slightly with surprise. She wasn't one to second guess herself. She continued to browse through the shelves, glancing up curiously, her neck craned._

_"Reiji?"_

_Her calm voice snapped him from his trance._

_"Will you help me? I'm afraid I can't reach."_

_He got up from his seat and walked over to where she was standing, looking down at her. She truly was small. She looked so fragile, suddenly._

_"Which one would you like?" his mouth felt dry, and he realized these were the first words he had spoken to her in a while._

_"The blue one," she pointed with her finger, "Please."_

_He reached for it, pulling the book from its place and then handing it to her. It wasn't until she placed her hands on it that he realized how close they were to one another. It was silly; he had been in close proximity to her before, of course, so why it felt so different now he couldn't seem to decipher. She held the book, breathing softly, and yet, she did not pull away, and neither did he._

_"Thank you." She said, ever so quietly._

_He was snapped yet again from his trance as she looked up at him with those wide brown eyes. He quickly dropped his hold, making his way back to his seat._

_"R-Reiji?"_

_Immediately his head shot up, the tone of her voice pricking his ears. "Yes?" he said, almost eagerly._

_She tightened her grip around the book, clutching it to her chest. "I…" she looked down._

_Maybe it was because of what had happened before, but, whatever the reason, Reiji's fingers itched with anxiousness. He felt as though his tie were choking him._

_"I've been thinking…thinking of leaving." She finally blurted._

_He blinked. Somewhat shocked. Somewhat expecting it. He had always known there would have come a day when she would say those words. He just didn't think it would have come so **soon.**_

_"You're leaving him, then." He clarified._

_She paused for a moment, "No," she shook her head, "No, I…" she exhaled shakily, closing her eyes and making her way to sit across from him. "I didn't mean it like that." She let out a nervous laugh, "Goodness that'd be rather dramatic."_

_"Indeed."_

_"I simply want to see more of the world," she began awkwardly. Then more confidently, "I believe it will be a good experience for me. It will help me be a better wife and..." she lowered her gaze, "Well, you see, I've asked him to come with me. Unfortunately I was refused." She laughed a laugh that was not at all happy. "Ah, but, distance makes the heart grow fonder, is that not the phrase?"_

_"Indeed." He repeated._

_"Do you think…" she inhaled, "I can't help but think I'm making a horrible decision."_

_"Is this what you want?"_

_She blinked at his sudden question, before nodding her head, "Yes. But-"_

_"If it is something you want then I can think of no logical reason to dissuade you." He said calmly, looking at her._

_"But, if I leave…then Shu—"_

_"My, my. Do you find him so weak? I thought only I held a low opinion of him."_

_She lowered her gaze. "Reiji…"_

_"You are taking initiative to free yourself from ignorance are you not? This is essential. Especially for a woman of your standing."_

_She flipped the book over in her hands, brushing her fingers over the spine, keeping her eyes on the ground despite hearing Reiji sigh._

_"I do pity you Reina. Having to be bound to a man who consistently drags you down."_

_Her head shot up, "You shouldn't speak of him in such a way."_

_Reiji smiled darkly, "And still," he opened his book, marking the end of the conversation, "you will defend him."_

_She clutched the book, biting her lip. "Always."_


	14. Chapter 14

_"Ayato…"_

_"What?" he sneered, crossing his arms, trying his best not to pout._

_"Ayato, my suitcase."_

_"What about it?"_

_She smiled tenderly, "Onii-chan. Where's my suitcase?"_

_He growled, "Why do you assume it's me? You and the Megane are always blaming me for shit. I didn't fucking do anything."_

_"How old are you?" Subaru asked._

_"Older than you!" Ayato retorted, "You wanna fight me or something?"_

_Subaru's hands were already clenched in fists, ready to take a swing._

_"I think I'll just go look around…" Reina added, awkwardly clearing her throat, "Please try to not kill each other."_

_"Fufufu, Ayato is such a child, ne Teddy?"_

_"SAYS THE CRYBABY!"_

_Reina quickly left, not wanting to be there when the top boiled over. From behind the closing door she could hear Kanato shouting out death threats. Part of her wanted to laugh. As crazy as her brothers were, she would truly miss them._

_Biting the inside of her cheeks, worrying about her departure, she literally bumped into the second son. She stumbled back, quickly coming to her senses. "Oh my goodness! Forgive me! I wasn't looking where I was going."_

_He simply pushed up his glasses, "Quite alright. Are you just about ready?"_

_"Well, almost. You see, I have reasonable cause to believe Ayato has hidden my suitcase." She giggled softly._

_"Mattaku," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "That aside, have you decided where you'll go first?"_

_She nodded happily, "Germany."_

_He raised his eyebrows in surprise, "You don't know any German. Are you sure that's wise?"_

_"Perhaps I'll be fluent by the time I get back!"_

_Reina was met with a sight she had never really seen before. The edges of his lips were tugging upwards, in a sort of half smile that was there but not quite. It was different from his usual smile, which was rare in its own right, but seeing this new expression made her heart strangely skip a beat. Unknowingly, her hands went to the pearl of her necklace, twirling it around nervously._

_"Reina-chan!" A carefree voice danced through the halls, "I think this belongs to you, fufu!" Laito came up to them, dragging Reina's suitcase behind him._

_She cleared her throat, shaking her head and turning her attention to Laito. "Yes! Right, thank you Laito." She flashed him a pleasant smile, and then excused herself, explaining that she had to say goodbye to Shu._

_Even still, her heart was pounding. She did not know why. How long had she been staring at Reiji's lips? But that was just…it was just that he never smiled. It's because the action was so foreign that it managed to capture her attention so fully. And, not to mention she was about to go on the trip of a lifetime. That explained why her heart was beating so loudly. Yes._

_She walked a lot faster than she had intended towards Shu's room, hoping that for once he would be awake. Hoping that maybe he'd change his mind at the last second…_

_Just as she was about to knock, the door opened._

_Surprised blue eyes met surprised brown ones._

_"Oh." They said in unison._

_Reina cleared her throat, shifting awkwardly._

_"You're really going."_

_"Come with me." She urged._

_"You know my answer."_

_Her knuckles whitened around the handle of her suitcase, "It wouldn't be for very long. Just a few years. It'd be a nice distraction, before you-"_

_"Twenty years is not a short amount of time, Reina."_

_"It is when you live forever…" she added quietly._

_They had gotten into a fight not so long ago. Their first one ever. She thought maybe it would have been enough to change his mind._

**_'Fine, go! What do I care?'_ **

_She cringed at the memory. Shu had always been stubborn. She didn't know why she was so hopeful about it all. He said nothing for a long while, but simply stared at her suitcase instead. "Do you have everything?"_

_"I believe I do." She said, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat._

_"Be careful."_

_She smiled, tears welling her eyes though she did her best not to let them fall. "Twenty years," she insisted, "I'll be back before you know it."_

_He looked up at her with heavy eyes, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her up against his chest, "A good wife, isn't that what you said?"_

_Her heart began to race with a strange aching, feeling all sorts of strange emotions, "Sh-Shu-"_

_"And a good husband, that's what I said." He cleared his throat, murmuring softly against her ear, "But I think we lost our promise long ago."_

_She swallowed awkwardly, pulling away from him, holding his hands in hers. "Sometimes promises just need to be tweaked a little."_

_"Or broken."_

_"Shu-"_

_"What do you think is going to happen?"_

_"I don't know," she bit her lip, "But if we-"_

_"Reina. We haven't been a 'we' in a long time."_

_She looked into those cold eyes, that had not held light in much too many years. Perhaps he was right._

_No. She **knew** he was right._

_She dropped her hold on his hands, and looked down, grabbing her suitcase once again, "I need to say my farewells. I hope you'll be well, Master Shu."_

_It was a bit of a jab, but she couldn't help it. The anger bubbling in her was unexplainable and she didn't know what else to do. She turned away, making her way down to the main entry way. Shu failed to retort or even follow. She figured it was for the best anyhow. When she reached the front door she inhaled deeply, smiling at her family._

_"Reina-san. Don't forget my present."_

_She giggled, "Absolutely not, Kanato-kun." She kissed the top of his head, and bid Teddy goodbye as well._

_"Reina-chan! I want some macaroons! Specially delivered by you, nfu~"_

_She kissed his cheek and nodded, insisting she would._

_Subaru stood awkwardly, clearing his throat, choosing to look anywhere but her, "Have a good trip."_

_She smiled, shaking her head and pulling him in for a hug, "Take care of yourself, and her, ok?"_

_"Mm." he affirmed._

_Next, she looked over at Ayato, who had his arms crossed and was wearing a nasty scowl._

_"Ayato-"_

_"Hurry up and go already then."_

_She smiled sadly, outstretching her arms, "Not without a goodbye."_

_"Fufu, he's really going to miss her that much…" Laito teased._

_"Only because she makes good takoyaki!" Ayato sneered, "If she leaves then…" He let out a frustrated 'tch' and quickly wrapped his arms around her, muttering incoherently about takoyaki and that 'damned hentai' and how she better hurry up and come back soon._

_"I'll be back before you know." She insisted._

_Finally prying herself from her brother, she turned her attention to Reiji. He cleared his throat, and she cleared hers._

_"Oh for fucks sake." With an quick push from Ayato, Reiji stumbled into Reina's small form, wrapping his arms around her awkwardly. They separated quickly, brushing themselves off, Reina trying to conceal the soft blush that had appeared on her cheeks._

_Reiji straightened his jacket, before addressing her directly, "I hope you'll find what you're looking for."_

_"Thank you, Reiji-san."_

_"Reina." It was a soft sound, but it was enough to make every head turn._

_"Shu."_

_There was a heavy silence as everyone looked at Shu, wondering if he'd say anything at all._

_"Have a safe trip." He exhaled, rubbing the back of his head._

_Reina nodded once and curtsied out of habit, giving him a thank you._

_"I'll be back," she promised, stepping towards the door._

_"We'll see you out." Reiji insisted, holding it open for her, while a few familiars handled the rest of her luggage. In the end, Ayato gave her three more hugs, and Laito demanded another kiss on the cheek. Subaru called the whole thing annoying and Kanato reminded her twice more to not forget his gift. Shu, however, did not stick around long enough to witness any of that. Reiji was the one to close the limousine door, but she quickly rolled down the window._

_"Hold the fort down, while I'm gone." She smiled weakly._

_"Naturally."_

_"Reiji?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"Don't be too hard on them."_

_A sadistic smile spread on his lips, "No promises, Miss Reina."_

_She scoffed, biting back a smile, lightly shaking her head. She was about to roll the window back up, but something stopped her._

_"R-Reiji," she stuttered uncharacteristically, her voice surprisingly desperate._

_"Yes?" he returned just as earnestly._

_"Write to me."_

_He nodded, stepping away from the car and resting his hand over his vest, "As you wish."_


	15. Chapter 15

_The first time he dreamt he hardly recognized it as a dream to begin with. It was blurry and choppy, and when he woke up he didn't remember any of it at all. More than anything, he was just tired, so he assumed that he had simply slept incorrectly. It didn't happen again for a long time after that, and therefore had nothing to compare it to. So when it finally did happen again, he was much older, but just as confused._

_It felt…off. Like reality, but not. He couldn't explain it, this world he was in, but he didn't seem to need to. She was there. That was all he needed. All that mattered. They were in the library, back in the castle, reading like they used to. Until she stopped suddenly, closing her book and calling his name. 'Reiji,' she said, brushing away his hair, 'You have beautiful eyes.' She leaned in, while he stood frozen, just like he had the first time. And just as her lips were about to brush over his, there was a cloudy blur that signaled the end of the dream. And a few breaths later, he woke up._

_It was a horrible feeling. Almost as though he were drowning. He did his best to push the thought away, to try and clear his senses. He thought himself a fool, for the most part. One, for dreaming in the first place, and two, for wanting to dream again._

_It was no recurring dream. It didn't happen often, at least, not enough for Reiji to truly question it. Perhaps he didn't want to. But when it did happen, the dream always left him feeling rather empty. As was the case, on this particular day. He sighed, rubbing his face with his hands, trying to efface the uneasy feeling growing at the pit of his stomach._

_A large clatter came from downstairs, and Reiji couldn't help but groan to himself. These brides were always causing so much trouble. One would think that after seventeen years they'd begin sending more competent women. Feeling more than just a little irritated, he got dressed, and made his way down to the kitchen._

_"If your intention was to wake up the entire house then I believe you have succeeded, Miss Komori."_

_"Ah, Reiji-san! I was just making some breakfast. Would you like some?"_

_"Anything you produce would be far below satisfactory. Your palette is horribly unrefined."_

_She brushed the comment away, plating the French toast and then putting it on a tray._

_Reiji watched the act with a grimace, doing his best to try and not grind his teeth. Did this sack of blood actually think—_

_"Oh, that's right. Reiji, there's a letter for you."_

_"And just who gave you permission to look through our mail?" he snapped sharply, sitting down at the small table in the corner of the kitchen. Yui dropped the envelope in front of him. "She has very beautiful penmanship." Yui noted._

_"Enough," Reiji snapped, "If you have no further business then kindly leave my line of vision. You're a horribly unsightly object to see first thing in the morning."_

_Yui bit the inside of her cheeks but said nothing. Instead, she turned on her heel, and grabbed the tray, before leaving to, Reiji imagined, Shu's room. He needed to speak with him about that. But he couldn't bother with it right now. Instead, he held the envelope in his hands, brushing his thumb over the thin indentation of Reina's loopy cursive. Where had she been when she was writing this, he wondered._

_It had been a long time since she had written directly to him. Usually, her letters were addressed to the good-for-nothing. But there it was. 'Reiji Sakamaki' spelled out in her elegant print. Easily, he opened the letter, feeling curiously anxious._

_"I hope this letter finds you well…"_

_The rest continued in a very similar and formal fashion. Inquiry about the family. A subtle focus on Shu. A brief outline of her own health, and a few highlights of her trip. She was in France, now. Perhaps she had finally settled somewhere. She had not written in many months, after all. Could not find the time, with all the moving about, is what she claimed._

_Upon finishing the letter, he took off his glasses and rubbed his temple, already tired despite having just woken up. He'd worked through most of the day, yesterday, with nearly nothing to show for it. Seventeen years of this, and nothing to show for it. He didn't understand. There was a missing piece he couldn't seem to pinpoint. The base of the drug was a solid enough foundation. At the very least he knew the problem did not stem from that._

_He exhaled a heated breath, and folded his hands so that he could lean his mouth against them. He'd need to make another trip to the demon world. He was running low on ingredients._

_Meanwhile, Yui trotted down the halls, seeming to be in a much better mood than usual. She had made relative progress with Shu. Nothing outstandingly major, but it was progress just the same. He slept a lot, and he took her blood, and he didn't seem to care about anything. But when Yui looked into those blue eyes she couldn't help but want to help. Because they were screaming for help. It was a look she was not unfamiliar with; it being something that was quite common in the church. People desperately seeking for some sort of refuge; a solace. Not knowing where to turn or how to go about it in the first place. It's always that sad expression, the thing that she can't abandon. And so, she made up her mind to not give up. He had saved her, after all. Maybe she could save him._

_'We can't kill her' i_ _s what he had said. A rather crude statement, in retrospect. Yui knew now that she had not been the first girl to enter this house. But she hoped she would be the last. Because to have others suffer at the hands of these vampires made her want to get down on her knees and pray all over again. But she believed in God's plan. And upon seeing Shu, and spending more time with him, she understood her purpose. She would make it so that he never held that saddened expression ever again. She didn't know what had happened in his past, or why he was so troubled now, but that didn't matter. Slowly, with the proper perseverance, she'd find some way to help him heal._

_Which was why now, she entered his room, food in hand._

_"Haven't I told you I don't need to eat?"_

_"Everyone needs to eat." She said with wide eyes, setting the tray down._

_He groaned, shutting his eyes again, "I refuse."_

_"It's French toast," she said, ignoring him, "I used to make it with my father, so it's really tasty."_

_"Do you intend to feed me?" he yawned._

_Yui pursed her lips in determination, "If that's what it takes."_

_He smirked at that, keeping his eyes closed and opening his mouth._

_Shu didn't understand this human, or why she was so intent on putting herself in the arms of death. She was rather different from the other brides. She cowered in fear and all of that, but she held on to her beliefs like they were some sort of saving grace. The other brides had been religious as well, of course, but none had stuck to their saints and their flippant morals as long as this one._

_Maybe she was just an idiot._

_It kind of bothered him how happy she looked when she was feeding him. As though she were accomplishing some sort of futile goal. Well, that was fine. Humans always needed something arbitrary and completely idiotic to give them a sense of purpose. But it could get rather annoying. He wasn't a big fan of humans. And this one was getting a bit too close for comfort._

_The fork hovered over his lips as Yui offered him another piece of the toast. His eyes flickered up to her face, before he grabbed her wrist and yanked forcefully. "I've changed my mind," he purred, "I **am** hungry." A surprised shriek left the girl's throat as he bit down on her wrist, her body shaking immediately in response._

_How lewd._

_For a moment he thought to tease her about it. But that was not the purpose of his bite. He sunk his fangs in deeper, gulping selfishly, making sure to create an intense pain. She closed her eyes, whimpering and no longer feeling any sense of pleasure. Good. Maybe now she'd actually fear him and get the fuck away. The only thing he didn't mind, was the meal. As usual, her blood was incomparable. He took a few more selfish gulps, before pulling away and releasing her._

_She stumbled away from him, knocking the tray over in her haste, the food falling to the floor in a large clatter. But she hardly seemed to notice that. She held her wrist tenderly, tears staining her cheeks. "That **hurt."** She accused._

_Shu yawned, closing his eyes once more, "It's supposed to."_

_She clenched her fists, grinding her teeth a bit. He didn't understand why she was always so high strung._

_"That face is amusing." he drawled._

_Yui shifted uncomfortably. Her wrist hurt, was throbbing with hurt, but for whatever reason, she couldn't stop looking at him. Though his lips were smiling, his eyes were not. And so even though Yui wanted to be mad at him, wanted to hate him for taking her blood so suddenly and so roughly, she couldn't. Instead, she picked up the spilled food, and told him she'd go and make some more._

_"Are you an idiot?"_

_She looked up at him, her face filled with more willpower than before. "Well, you only had a few pieces..."_

_"Don't waste your time." He groaned._

_"I'm only trying to help." She said, nearly defiantly. It was starting to piss him off._

_"You want to help?" he snarled, grabbing her wrist again, making her drop the tray **again,** food spilling everywhere for the second time._

_"Shu-san!"_

_He pulled her on top of him, wrapping his arms around her to keep her in place. "Keep me warm." He grunted._

_She flinched once, but said nothing, choosing to stay silent. Good. Maybe now he'd get some sleep._

* * *

 

_Reiji carefully set down the variety of vials on his desk, and proceeded to organize them. There was still so much to be done. He'd work through the day today as well, if it was necessary. With his new supplies at hand, he was surely at an advantage this time around. But as he began to tinker with the various potions and elixirs, his eyes continued to drift towards Reina's letter, and the loopy 'j' of his name which she had written so grandiosely._

_It seemed to claim his desk, demanding to be noticed. He wanted to ignore it. But this letter, much like Reina, had a certain presence to it that he simply could not escape. He sighed, admitting defeat, and put down the chemicals he was examining. Deciding he may as well reply now, he sat down at the desk, and pulled out a pen._

_She'd be home soon. In three years time, perhaps she'd be standing right here, in this very lab. Reiji glanced up, admiring his collection of teacups he'd placed across the desk. For aesthetic purposes of course. He had finally accumulated an upscale collection, choosing to display the fragile artworks behind a glass cabinet with wood framing. For a brief moment, he wondered what she might think of it. And for a brief moment, Reiji nearly smiled._

_"Dear Reina…"_


	16. Chapter 16

_She was persistent. He'd give her that much. He figured when he told her to carry him, that it would've been enough for her to give up. But she was pretty stubborn in her own right. It was both amusing and annoying. Mostly annoying. Still, Shu imagined it to look quite hilarious, a small thing like her trying to drag his dead weight out of a limousine. But this was all getting rather troublesome. He couldn't sleep or enjoy his music with her constant and incessant nagging. From a distance, the warning bell was heard, and Yui burst into a panic. "Shu-san! Please, we'll be late…" He didn't bother to listen to the rest. None of the other brides had been so **noisy.** So what was wrong with this one? He let out a low groan, interrupting her waterfall of ramblings. "I'll go," he yawned, "But you'll have to kiss me."_

_Her face mimicked a sunburn. He had opened his eyes just in time to see it. He smirked to himself, letting his eyes flutter closed once more. Good. A church-going, goody-two-shoes like her wouldn't be able to manage something like that. Now he'd be able to get some sleep—_

_Warm, moist lips fell upon the vampire's cheek, Shu receiving the most tender kiss he'd felt in all his life. Still, he kept his eyes closed, doing what he does best and simply choosing to not react. "Do you call that a kiss?" he teased, wondering just how far he could push this girl. He could tell, just from the tone of her voice, that she was pouting, and her fists were probably all balled up. Her frustration (all of her, really) was just too easy to read._

_"Y-You said you'd go so…Shu-san please, we'll be late."_

_"Why do you care?" he snapped, starting to feel a little irked._

_"I don't want you to fall behind. You're a third year after all."_

_He blinked, completely immobilized save for that one action. Did this girl not understand that he was a vampire? That school was nothing but a redundant joke they were forced to partake in? He nearly told her all of that, but it would have been a wasted breath. "My failure would have no effect on you." He pointed out bluntly, opening his eyes so that he could look at her properly. He knew that at this point she could make no real argument for herself, but he was curious just the same._

_"I would just hate for you to be held back…" she said softly, a bit more hesitantly, her hands held behind her back as she shifted awkwardly. He sighed, irritated with both himself and with her. "Fine." He said. Her head perked up in surprised confusion. He stared at her blankly, before pushing his way past her._

_Well, at least she had finally shut up. It didn't last very long, though, the pitter-patter of her tiny feet catching up to him. "Great!" she said eagerly, "I mean, I'm glad." She added with a more subdued tone._

_"Tch." He looked the other way, adjusting his headphones before putting his hands in his pockets. Even still, this girl was beaming as if she'd won the lottery. It was positively idiotic, being happy over something stupid like this. In fact, he practically found it disgusting. But for reasons unknown to him, if one were to look closely, they'd see that Shu's lips had tugged upwards of their own accord._

_Yui, of course, did not notice this. She was, however, over the moon that he had finally agreed to attend class. She couldn't help but feel a little proud of him. He was finally trying! At least a little bit. It made her happy. She called out to him cheerily once they made it inside, and dashed off to her class. Things were finally starting to make a turn for the better._

_That is, until Yui got to class. This particular professor did not tolerate tardiness. Though she tried to explain her situation, he was having none of it, and she was sentenced to attend detention after class. Yui sighed, slouching slightly in her seat. There was no way she'd make it to the limo in time. Reiji had absolutely no sympathy when it came to things like this. In fact, she'd have to steer clear of him for a while, considering he was so keen on the upkeep of studies. She sighed, only half paying attention. It was almost as though no matter what she did, she couldn't seem to catch a break._

_Letting her mind wander, if finally landed on Shu. She wondered how he was faring out in his classes today. Did he even have a notebook with him? She'd have to be sure to ask him, once she got home. But she only groaned at the thought of how she was supposed to get back home in the first place._

_Yui's head snapped up, her eyes wide._

_Home?_

_Is that what she thought of that place now? She supposed so. It had been long enough. And while the Sakamaki brothers were nothing near a **family** per se…._

_She sighed._

_She'd have to walk home. She had no money for a cab, so it was her only choice. While it wasn't too far, it made her a bit uneasy. It would still be dark, by the time she would get out of detention, and for a young girl to be walking that distance all alone…_

_She shook her head, trying to steady herself. She would be fine. There was hardly anyone out on the streets at that time anyway. Besides, she lived in a house of **vampires.** She nearly giggled. She'd be fine._

* * *

 

_Detention was a lot more soothing than she thought something like detention could have been. It gave her some time to catch up on her work, completely undisturbed, and she felt as though she had more energy than she had had in a long time. She almost didn't **want** to go back. When she got back she knew she'd be punished for getting detention in the first place. Reiji would be most displeased. Part of her wished Shu would do something about that. But it wasn't likely. None of the brothers really went against him, when it came down to it. Which made sense, if she thought about it._

_Although, there was definite tension between Shu and his brother. She wondered why that was. Picking up her books and placing them in her bag, Yui assumed it was probably Shu's careless attitude that drove a wedge between them. Reiji was the complete opposite after all. And Shu…_

_She brought a hand up to her mouth to stop her giggles. Well, sometimes he was nothing more than a spoiled child. But she sort of found that…kind of…_

_She smacked her cheeks, trying to cool them down. He was attractive, of course. Anyone with eyes would be able to see that. But he didn't see her as anything more than food. Which was fine. It was how it was supposed to be, considering they weren't human. But sometimes she found herself wishing he'd see her as more than just that. Maybe, if she kept trying, they could be friends. That might be nice. She really didn't have very many, after moving here._

_Yes, she decided. She would make Shu her friend._

_Somehow or other._

_Tossing her bag over her shoulder, she made her way out of the classroom, enjoying the way her steps echoed in the empty hallway. It might have been a bit scary, since it was so dark, but the moon was still out and provided her a nice enough light by which to see._

_She had a little trouble opening the door, going into a slight panic when it didn't open on her initial push, but soon enough she realized that it was simply because she was rather weak herself, and the heavy wood of the school's doors did not make it easy on someone like her. She'd have to make sure to eat a proper meal before bed. She'd hadn't exactly been taking care of herself, especially with all the blood sucking that had been going on. She cringed reflexively, her hands going up to the tender spot of her neck, where Shu's bite still rested. Luckily, the uniform hid it. He seemed to at least grant her this small courtesy. A little higher up and it would be visible to anyone and everyone._

_Finally having managed to open the door, she stepped outside, a cool breeze greeting her. She shivered, thinking that she should have brought an extra jacket. She'd have to walk briskly to hurry up and get to the mansion._

_To her surprise—and really, it shouldn't have been a surprise—Shu was sprawled out on the steps, asleep._

_"Shu-san!" she knelt down, nudging him. He was cold as ice. She nudged him a bit more roughly, "Please, you can't stay out here! You'll catch a cold!"_

_He groaned, turning over on his side, "Vampires don't get colds…noisy woman…"_

_"E-Even still you can't stay here."_

_"And why not?"_

_She swallowed nervously, "We have to get back. Reiji-san-"_

_He let out a long, annoyed groan upon hearing his name, practically rolling his eyes though they were still closed. Yui almost found that sort of adorable. "Come on," she encouraged, "I don't know what it's like to have siblings. But it must be nice to have an older brother like-"_

_"Older…ha."_

_Yui blinked, her knees sort of cramping, so she decided to sit down on the steps instead. "I-Isn't he?"_

_"I'm the eldest brother." He yawned._

_Her eyes widened. "You are?"_

_"Is that so hard to believe?"_

_She hesitated, "Well...you just don't seem like it..."_

_He snorted, "You're not the first to tell me so."_

_She bit her lip, "It must be a lot of responsibility."_

_He eyed her up and down curiously, "It used to be…"_

_She placed her hand on his and smiled, "Well, you seem to be taking it easy, at least for now."_

_He scoffed, "Sure."_

_"Why do you do that?" she questioned._

_"Do what?" he yawned once more._

**_Brush everything aside._ **

_"We should be heading back. It's cold."_

_"You go," he sighed, "I'll sleep."_

_"Shu, please-"_

_"No."_

_Yui took in a large inhale. Never before had her patience been tried to such a degree. But if he wanted to be stubborn, then she could be too. She let out a frustrated huff, but grabbed her bag and put it down on the steps. She tried to get comfortable, the edges of the stairs digging into her back making it nearly impossible, but still, she'd stay._

_"What are you doing?" he eyed her curiously, as she tried to adjust her makeshift book bag-turned-pillow._

_"I can't just leave you." She said seriously, squirming a bit._

_He didn't know what to make of that. What kind of idiot was she? She was curled up rather small, obviously uncomfortable, obviously shivering, and obviously putting up a front. She really was the kind of woman he hated most._

_He clicked his tongue and sat up, before taking a deep breath and standing up. He didn't bother to call out her name, or even turn around to make sure she was following him. But he knew she was._

_"It'll be warmer in the house." She encouraged._

_"I'm cold blooded." He felt as though he had repeated this indefinitely. Why couldn't she get that through her thick head?_

_"But, Shu-san likes to be warm, right?"_

_At this, he did look down at her, her large pink orbs a bit too innocent for his taste. "Yes." He muttered._

_She smiled at that, the same proud look that had been on her face when they got to school resurfacing once again. That did it._

_He grabbed her effortlessly, only needing to use a single hand, "You seem eager to please today," he breathed on her neck._

_"Sh-Shu-san, no! N-not-"_

_Heh, he thought, now **this** was amusing. "If you don't want my fangs," he smirked, showing them off, "Then don't look so aroused." He bit into her tender flesh as soon as the words left his lips, the hot blood rushing into his mouth, sending him into a bit of a frenzy. He didn't know if it was because there was full moon due in a few days, or maybe the fact that'd he'd been too lazy to feed recently, but he couldn't stop. Her feeble whimpers and pathetic scratches only urged him on, the delicious taste doing nothing to sate his sudden addiction._

_Yui was pleading. She was doing absolutely everything she possibly could, but nothing was working, and her energy was fading fast. A bit too quickly for comfort, she could feel herself losing consciousness._

_In one final attempt, she called out his name, and though her mouth opened, her lips shaping to form the word, she didn't manage to stay awake long enough to know if the sound ever left her throat._

_She fell limp in his arms, and something snapped in Shu. He pulled away, some blood splattering over her uniform. He panted, holding the unconscious girl in his arms, her hair falling over her face. He thought about dropping her. And then leaving her. After all, she meant nothing to him. But she would die, in this cold. And then he'd run into problems with that man._

_So he'd have to bring her back, if only for that reason._

_How truly troublesome that was._

**_I can't just leave you._ **

_He clenched his jaw. Some joke that was. Everyone who had ever promised to stay had left. And she would probably leave in the exact same way. But then again…_

_She had said it so genuinely._

**_Why did she say it so genuinely?_ **

_He was a vampire. Why couldn't she seem to understand that? This false bravery and honest fear. It's as though she had absolutely no idea what she was doing. She probably didn't._

_Maybe he'd have some fun making her understand that she existed solely to fulfill her purpose as his food. That she was prey. That she was beneath him. That she was…she was…_

_He linked his arms under her knees and picked her up easily, the tiny thing weighing next to nothing. Her breaths were soft and even, though she trembled slightly. Probably from the breeze that was present tonight. Despite that her body was still warm against his. Though he would deny it, he found the feeling rather pleasant._

_So pleasant, in fact, that when they made it back to the mansion, he couldn't bring himself to let go. So he brought her to his room, to serve as his own personal heater._

_"As payment for having me carry you so far." He justified. That's all he was doing. Just indulging in one of the few things this human could provide. And really, there were only two she **could** provide: blood, and heat. So he kept her there, falling to sleep much faster than he had expected to._

* * *

 

_When Yui awoke it was to the sound of thunder. She trembled, bringing the covers over herself out of habit. But memory hit her, just then, and she gasped, the strong scent of Shu seemingly surrounding her. She blinked, adjusting to the darkness, and she realized she was not in her own room. She nearly sat up, but was stopped by some strong arms, at the exact moment that more thunder crashed down. Both of these tied together caused a scream to part her lips, both out of surprise and confusion._

_"Shhh…" he seemed to groan, but Yui noticed he was holding her more gently than usual. And, suddenly, his fingers were on her ears._

**_It couldn't be._ **

_But when she heard the soothing classical music, there could be no doubt. He had placed one of his earphones in her ear. "It's only rain." He murmured._

_Yui bit her lip, resting against his chest. She didn't exactly have the heart to tell him that she was not, in fact, scared of the thunder. But, at least she could use fear as an excuse for her rapidly beating heart. If she had passed out on the road, and they were now back at the mansion, then that meant Shu had carried her home. This eternal sloth of a man had taken it upon himself to make sure she didn't stay out all night._

_Of course, it's what any normal person would have done. But if someone would have asked her, she would have bet everything that he wouldn't have thought twice about leaving her behind. So maybe…with this…_

_Maybe they were one step closer to being friends, and she was one step closer to helping—_

_Cold lips met her warm ones, and a small squeak of a sound escaped her. What was he doing?!_

_"Warm…" he murmured lazily, before giving a yawn and falling promptly back to sleep._

_Yui's cheeks burned with an intense heat, her heart pounding at a pace so fast she thought it might pop out of her chest. How could he have done something so intimate so easily? It couldn't be that…that he actually…_

_No...no, he was probably just teasing her again. He loved to do it after all. It was probably just..._

_She shut her eyes tight, curling up next to him just a bit more. If it was what he wanted, then she'd make sure he always stayed warm no matter what. And if she managed to do that…_

_…then maybe he'd kiss her again._


	17. Chapter 17

_Of course, he knew what was going on. All it'd take was someone with a pair of eyes to see what was happening. And he knew the Megane knew. And that the Megane was pissed off. Honestly, it bothered Ayato too, but it's not like **he** could do anything about it. Shu was the first son, and as the first son he could do anything he damn well pleased. Shu never had to **try** to be the best; it was simply his birthright._

_It used to piss Ayato off. A lot, actually. Looking back, it was probably why he got into trouble so much, since he generally let his frustration get the best of him. But these days, it wasn't very difficult to be better than the blonde. Just by waking up, Ayato was already ten steps ahead. So what used to be a not-so-friendly rivalry, could hardly even be recognized as a competition anymore._

_It's not like Ayato cared what that guy did or anything, but it didn't seem right. Especially since Reina wasn't here._

_Not that having more than one wife was completely off the table for any of them, but…_

_Ayato groaned. She was so fucking naïve, always going on about her stupid love stories that some boring humans had written up. What did she think was gonna happen? She **knew** that old man was sending brides. After twenty years some were bound to choose Shu…none of them nearly as clingy as this one was being though…_

_It's probably why he didn't write to Reina as often as he should have. But if he told her then he knew she'd cut her trip short. And as much as he wanted her back, she didn't deserve that. Which was why, he guessed, the Megane hadn't said anything either. It was weird, when him and that guy were on the same page about things. It made Ayato feel weird._

_He stared at the ceiling, clenching his fists. But if they did tell her…_

_Well, it wasn't like this bitch of a human could take Reina's place anyway. But what bothered him was just how much attention Shu gave her. Sure, her blood smelled good and all, nostalgic, even, but for a guy who never did anything to suddenly be up and about…it was unnerving._

_The more Ayato thought about it, the angrier he got. Reina wouldn't accept a mistress. That'd start all sorts of fucked-upedness. So, this human would have to become a wife. Which meant they'd have to go through the trouble of converting her and all that extra bullshit. Not to mention, if Shu married two women right after another, especially with one of them being a former human, that'd be one hell of a fucking scandal in the demon world._

_Still, Ayato was confident Reina would keep the human in her place. Reina might be naïve, but she was a destined Queen. She definitely knew how to handle herself. And when she was angry, well…_

_Actually, the more he thought about it, Ayato realized that he had never seen her angry before. And though he didn't know why, the image of an angry Reina scared the absolute shit out of him._

_"Ayato."_

_He jumped, being caught completely off guard, especially since he was so deep in thought. "Oy! Have you heard of knocking?" He sneered, "Rude as fuck you know!"_

_"Your diction is appalling." Reiji sighed, handing over a letter, "She will be expecting a response."_

_"Yeah, yeah, I know." He growled, snatching the letter away, "Just because you reply the moment they get here-"_

_"Punctuality is important Ayato. It would not do to keep her waiting."_

_"You've been keeping her waiting for forever…" he muttered quietly under his breath._

_Reiji sighed. "Mattaku…must we have this conversation again?"_

_"You **know** she-"_

_"Ayato. I will not repeat myself. She is engaged to the first son. For her sake I will ensure that the spoiled prince fulfills his role, but I have no further obligations beyond that."_

_"Obli…Fuck your obligations Reiji! And fuck Shu! The hell are you thinking? When you know what he's doing right now with that girl-"_

_"That **girl** is just that, and nothing more. I will not meddle in his affairs so long as she lacks a woman's scent. Without it she is hardly a threat."_

_Ayato couldn't exactly argue with that, but it's not like it made him feel any better. "What happens when she **does** become a threat?" he said, his face darkening._

_Reiji hesitated, but it was so brief that Ayato didn't notice._

_"Then perhaps Kanato will have the proper incentive to create a new doll."_

_Ayato clenched his jaw. He'd always known it, of course, the fact that Reiji was fucking terrifying when he wanted to be. But the look on his face as he suggested turning Chichinashi into a doll…chills didn't even begin to describe it._

_"Do reply to her soon Ayato," he said, turning to leave the room, his fingers already reaching for the door handle, "I believe she misses you more than she'd care to admit."_

_"I know that!" he shouted after him, but he was already gone._

* * *

 

_"Shu-san!"_

_She had been looking for well over an hour now, but he was nowhere to be seen. She couldn't help but worry. He did, after all, have a poor habit of falling asleep in obscure places. She'd already checked all the bathtubs in the mansion, so at least she knew he wasn't at risk of drowning. That is, if vampires could drown in the first place. She walked through the halls, furrowing her brow and trying to figure out where he would be, when she heard an enchanting sound coming from the music room. But, it didn't quite sound like a piano. Did Laito play more than one instrument maybe?_

_She figured it wouldn't hurt to step in and see. Plus, she could ask him if he'd seen Shu anywhere. Only, when she opened the door, she could hardly believe her eyes. There stood Shu, violin perched between his chin and shoulder, fingers expertly manipulating the strings while his bow coaxed out a haunting melody._

_She stood hushed, watching in complete admiration until he'd finished his piece._

_"What do you want?" he sighed as the song ended, lowering his bow._

_"I was looking for you." She explained._

_"I'm aware."_

_She crinkled her features, "If you knew, then why didn't you say anything?"_

_"Busy. Obviously." He replied with a groan, as though she were failing to understand something crucial._

_"I didn't know you played." She chirped, trying to keep those angry grunts at bay, "It was really beautiful."_

_"I haven't played in a while." He said, glancing over the sheet music in front of him._

_Yui walked over to take a look herself, nearly getting dizzy when she saw the blotches of black on white. It was rather intimidating, the plethora of notes that dominated the page. It was like looking at a strange and cryptic language. "It seems difficult." She admitted with an embarrassed giggle._

_"For someone like you, maybe." Shu jabbed, a small smirk growing on his lips._

_But Yui only smiled, continuing her examination of the sheet music. "Shu-san," she questioned, not quite confident enough to look at him, "If you had time…do you think maybe you could teach me?"_

_He let out a long sigh, and for a moment Yui wondered if he would even bother to answer. But he muttered something about his ears bleeding, and then held out the violin to her, despite a second frustrated sigh._

_Once it was safely tucked under her chin, and the bow was properly held in her hand, Shu began to let out hushed laughter. Yui didn't know why, but it made her blush. "W-What is it?"_

_He shook his head, closing his eyes in disappointment. "It's too big for you."_

_Yui assumed that that was probably why it felt so awkward in her hands. Still, she wanted to try. He shook his head, "Well, it'll do for now. Keep your hand open."_

_She did as she was told, balancing the instrument carefully._

_"Drag the bow across the second string. **Only** the second one."_

_She tried her best, the violin screeching in protest as her shaky hands caught not only the second, but the third string as well. Shu cringed. "If you would have played it correctly, it would've been a D."_

_"A D?"_

_He pointed to the sheet music, "This one here."_

_"Ah..." Yui nodded, despite the fact that all those notes looked exactly the same to her._

_"First finger," Shu continued, "On the second string, here." He guided her hand, lowering her pointer finger over the string, "Hold it down. That's an E." he explained, pointing to another note on the sheet._

_"Ah, um, right." Yui said, trying to play the note. Even though she didn't catch the second string this time, the violin still screeched absurdly in her hands._

_Shu grimaced. To call her stupid would be an understatement. She was awkward, clumsy, and absolutely nothing like Reina. But for some reason, he couldn't see that as a bad thing. Even if this girl **was** an idiot._

_He took back his instrument, having heard enough of his violin's cries. "It's expected, from someone like you."_

_"Well, maybe if I practiced…"_

_She talked a lot too. Much more than Reina ever did. And Shu realized it had been a long time since he had really thought about her. There wasn't exactly a big mystery as to why, but then again, he had never thought to compare the two women. They were nearly polar opposites, after all. And for a brief moment, he wondered what she might be doing._

_"Shu-san?"_

_Was she still talking?_

_"Mm."_

_"Will you? Teach me more I mean…maybe later?"_

_He shut his case, letting out another exasperated sigh, "It'd be troublesome…" he didn't bother to finish his sentence. But this girl looked so damn **happy.** It bothered him beyond all else. He hadn't said yes. He hadn't agreed to teach her. So what was there to smile about?_

_They do say that smiles and laughter are contagious. But Shu wasn't about to give in that easily._

_"Shu!" she said suddenly, snapping him back to reality._

_"What."_

_"Since it's so nice out today, do you want to make some s'mores?"_

_"Smores."_

_She nodded happily._

_"What is that?" he didn't look at her as he put his violin away._

_"They're like a dessert. You roast marshmallows over a fire and then eat it with some chocolate and graham crackers-"_

_"No." he said quickly, stiffening a bit, "How barbaric. Sticking food over fire."_

_"Oh but it's lots of fun!" she promised, "And the night's pretty warm but with the fire we'll surely be-"_

_"No."_

_Yui swallowed awkwardly._

_So he really didn't like fire, then. She had suspected it before, after a brief interaction in the kitchen, but she hadn't known for certain until now. That seemed rather strange, for someone who always wanted to be warm._

_"There are more effective ways to heat up." He murmured, wearing the smirk he usually did when he was about to kiss her._

_Her face went red. "O-Oh?"_

_He leaned in close, his face hovering just above hers, "Can you think of anything?"_

_She took a hesitant step back, the atmosphere in the room changing to something Yui didn't quite recognize, but excited and scared her at the same time. "U-Um, well there's…blankets…" she stuttered over her words, feeling hopelessly nervous for reasons she couldn't explain, "Shu-san-"_

_"Then," his eyes sharpened, his voice dangerously low, "Shall I show you?"_


	18. Chapter 18

_In her favor, he would step in, before it indeed became too late. Which is why, after working tediously in his lab, he went to find Shu. He was feeling rather confident, since he had made quite a bit of progress with his drug. This accomplishment was enough to provide him the energy he'd need to deal with his disgrace of a brother. Luckily, when he found him in the game room, he was alone. It was one of those rare moments where that little leech of a human was not clinging desperately to his side._

_"Shu."_

_He didn't answer._

_Reiji adjusted his glasses in annoyance. "Need I remind you that you are engaged? To a woman of-"_

_"Yes, Ayato gave me a similar talk, just now. Save yourself the trouble."_

_"Father will not allow this."_

_"He's the one sending the brides," Shu said easily, "Isn't it normal to have more than one lover?" He mumbled, a slight irritation in his voice._

_Reiji stiffened. "You should not speak so flippantly. That girl can hardly be considered-"_

_"And what will you do about it?" he groaned, glancing briefly at his brother and then shutting his eyes again. "Reina wants a title. She'll have it."_

_"Do not speak of her-"_

_"She's mine, isn't she?" he countered, "I will speak of her however I want."_

_Reiji clenched his gloved hand, before inhaling deeply and then uncurling it, "Even so you do not believe your own words. Do not try to soothe your conscious with blatant lies."_

_At this Shu opened his eyes, his crystal orbs hitting Reiji's crimson ones in a silent collision of fire and ice._

_"Do you intend to take in another human?" Reiji's lips curled into a smile, "Surely you remember the outcome-"_

_Shu twitched, and though it wasn't obvious, Reiji noticed. "Enough."_

_But he wouldn't not stop. "It would be a shame, should another accident occur. The creature is a clumsy one. And always in the kitchen. Good grief, **brother**. So many **dangerous** objects in a kitchen."_

_Shu got up, and began to walk away, increasing the volume of his music. He felt slightly uneasy, despite the fact that he knew Reiji's threats were empty. Unless he wanted the backlash of that man, then Reiji couldn't do anything. Not to mention that at the rate they were going, Yui would awaken soon. Still, he felt the incredible need to go see her._

_"Shu."_

_He stopped. He shouldn't have, but there was something in Reiji's voice he'd never quite heard before. Still, he didn't bother to turn around._

_"The girl," he exhaled, his voice level, "Will you marry her?"_

_The answer to that, Shu thought, was obvious._

* * *

_She hadn't counted on London being so bloody **cold.** But she was pushing through. Really, she preferred France. Maybe she'd go back, soon. But for now, sitting on one of the outside tables of a coffee shop, while she sketched the surrounding buildings, she felt mostly at peace._

_Reina sighed, sipping her drink. Humans really were quite fascinating. To put something like caramel in coffee. It was wonderful._

_Mornings like these were the ones she enjoyed the most. There was a crisp breeze that tugged at her hair, which she now wore half down. It was a style she was rather uncomfortable with at first, but after meeting a variety of women in France, and after having them **insist** she let her hair down, she had no choice to comply. Why she had kept this same style when she was no longer in France, however, she didn't know. Habit, perhaps. Though even Reina knew that was a weak argument in itself._

_She continued to sketch the large buildings a bit more, refining her skills as she people watched. She cringed at her work, deciding that music and art were really not her best talents. Thus she put the sketchbook away, letting her mind wander._

_There was a young couple across the street. They had a little girl with them. She looked about two or three. Old enough to walk, but not quite enough to form proper phrases yet. Reina smiled longingly. They all looked so happy, praising the little girl as she pointed to various things, claiming every other object of her fancy to be a 'duck.' The father chuckled and corrected her, but that all seemed to go over the child's head._

_The mother laughed, picking the child up so that she could adjust her scarf. The little girl seemed to protest, but squealed with joy when she was once again put on the ground, undoing what the mother had just fixed._

_Reina took another sip of her coffee. She wondered if she'd ever manage to be a mother. She hoped so. Being unable to birth a child was one of her greatest fears. She'd be a failure of a woman, should that happen. Especially if said child turned out to be a girl. She had to provide Shu with an heir._

_Her expression curled at that, despite the sweetness of the caramel that played on her tongue. What would Shu think of a little girl, she wondered. He probably wouldn't mind. Though a son was rather essential, of course. That is, if he even wanted more than one child. Reina blinked slowly, realizing that she in fact did not know what he wanted._

_Perhaps she never had._

_But suddenly, Ayato filled her mind, and she began to smile. How amusing that would be, she thought, to have Ayato as an uncle. She nearly laughed._

_Not to mention the other four uncles. Reiji, of course, being the strictest one. At this, Reina did let out a small chuckle. Her children would grow up surrounded by family. And with five protective uncles she was sure they'd do just fine._

_But her smile slowly faded, the wind tugging at her hair again, the caramel strangely bittersweet on her lips._

_The couple was no longer in her field of vision. She assumed they had walked into one of the various shops that lined this street. How long had it been, now? Nearly eighteen years. The more she thought about it, the more she knew she had already made up her mind._

_She wanted to go home._

* * *

_Reiji was not one to give in so easily. And, there was nothing that said he couldn't interfere. Which was why he called her to his lab, that night._

_The frail knocking set his teeth on edge. This girl held no confidence whatsoever. "Come in, Miss Komori."_

_"Y-You needed me, Reiji-san?" she spoke shyly. He had to grind his teeth to keep himself in check. He so much hated a uselessly stuttering woman._

_"You spend a rather appalling amount of time with that good-for-nothing," he began, "I thought I'd spare you a few moments."_

_She looked at him curiously, "I don't mind-"_

_"It is important for a young woman such as yourself to be exposed to a variety of arts," he insisted, "Thus I will take it upon myself to teach you German."_

_He noticed her swallow, the small protrusion of her neck tempting him as she shifted awkwardly in her spot, the scent of her blood reaching him despite the fact she was still a good distance away._

_"That's really nice, Reiji-san, but n-no thank you." She said slowly, her feet shifting in the direction of the door. Reiji couldn't help but smile. Her fear was rather appetizing. And the thought of draining her dry was a rather nice one. But he'd hold back, for now._

_"I-If that was all, I'll be going-"_

_"Not quite so fast, Miss Komori. If I'm not mistaken, you would help your father in your church, would you not?"_

_She seemed to brighten at that. Truly, this child was far too easy to manipulate._

_"Yes, that's right!" she nodded happily, her face washing over with realization, "Oh, did you need help with something, Reiji-san?"_

_He pushed up his glasses, doing his best to not gag at the sweetness that laced her voice. Why were humans always such blind imbeciles?_

_"As a matter of fact, I was wondering if you would care for some tea."_

_Yui blinked a few times, wondering if she had heard him correctly. And for a moment, she couldn't help but pity him a bit. Reiji was always taking care of everyone else. But maybe he was the loneliest of all the brothers. So she agreed. After all, she didn't mind a little conversation every now and again._

_He nodded. "The teacups are in the cabinet over there," he said, pointing with his hand, "Feel free to choose whichever you'd like."_

_Yui walked over to the cabinet, gasping upon seeing his collection. She had heard from Ayato that Reiji owned a ridiculous amount of tableware 'for some goddamn reason' but she hadn't ever seen it personally. And what a collection it was. She had never seen so many beautiful teacups all at once before. There was one on the bottom corner that caught her eye, with an intricate gold rim against a pearl-white finish. She reached for that one, carefully closing the cabinet before bringing it over to him with slightly shaking hands._

_Before she could reach him, however, she tripped over the carpet, creating quite a scene, the teacup falling from her hold as her hands instinctively reached out to brace her body for the impact._

_Hurt or not, Yui knew it didn't matter. If damage had come to his valued collection she'd die for this. She was almost sure of that._

_Reiji watched her with a raised eyebrow, not saying anything. That scared her more than if he **had** said something. She scrambled over to the cup, letting out a little sigh of relief when she found it to be undamaged. She smiled up brightly at him, picking it up, but as she did so, one small piece chipped off, falling to the carpet._

_Yui's mouth went dry, her lips parted in horror. Still, he said nothing, but continued to look at the broken cup in her hands._

_"As expected," he breathed out slowly, "From someone like you."_

_Yui looked up at him with every hesitation in the world. He didn't sound upset. In fact he didn't sound like anything at all. It sounded like he was distant, far away. Maybe this had more value to him than she had originally thought._

_"It's just a small chip," she began quickly, picking up the piece, "We can fix it, Reiji-san."_

_Reiji found her suggestion rather amusing. Of all the teacups this human could have chosen, it had to be this one. He'd purposely placed it in one of the far corners of his cabinet, so that no one would see unless they knew what they were looking for._

**_That's quite an interesting design, on this particular set._ **

_Ah, how foolish, he thought, for him to remember her words in her own voice. It was positively frustrating._

_Reiji inhaled sharply, clenching and unclenching his fists. If it was no longer perfect then he had no use for it. Something so obviously broken was distasteful. Reiji would not be granted that pleasant smile, if she saw what had become of her most favorite cup._

_"Reiji-san?"_

_The human pulled him from his thoughts._

_"Get rid of it," he ordered, "And get out of my sight."_

_Yui tried to get through to him once more. She got the feeling that she'd done something she wouldn't be able to ever make up for. "E-Even if we can't fix it, Reiji-san, I think you should still keep it."_

_"You speak a bit too boldly for my tastes, Miss Komori. Have you forgotten your place? Perhaps I could rip off one of your fingers as collateral? It would be all too easy, considering the trouble you've put me through today."_

_Though frozen with fear, Yui's mouth moved on its own. "If it held a memory, then even if it was a little chipped, then it should be ok. It's like me and my rosary." She smiled weakly, knowing in her gut that she was on to something._

_Reiji laughed. It only sent her into a deeper terror. "An object of sentimentality? How very amusing. And a broken one at that. The idea is so horribly absurd, Miss Komori, that I cannot help but find you completely incompetent."_

_"My father would say that," she chewed her lip, trying to recall the proper words, "Some things have value because they are pointless. So I think that, with this-"_

_He took the teacup from her hand, cutting off her speech. He let the handle dangle off the edge of his finger, before letting it slip, the small cup shattering into a million pieces on the hardwood floor._

_"There is nothing worse than false hope, Miss Komori. You will do well to remember it."_

_She rushed out, driven by what he assumed to be fear, given the scent she gave off, and Reiji was left alone, the object that had prompted his collection all those years ago now completely and utterly destroyed._

_Perhaps, he thought, it was time to end it all._


	19. Chapter 19

_In all the time she'd been there, Yui had not once heard the doorbell ring. So when it happened, it was such a forgotten and foreign sound that she quite literally jumped in shock. This was also probably due to the fact that she was in the main hall, and so it felt extra loud. Without really thinking it over, she went over to the door, tugging it with a heavy grunt, only managing to open it partway._

_"Oh. Hello. Um…This is still the Sakamaki Manor, isn't it?"_

_Yui had never seen such a beautiful woman before, the way her golden brown hair caught the light of the moon, her brown eyes shining. Snapping back to reality, Yui nodded in answer to her question. "Yes, who are you?"_

_"You do not have the privilege of opening the doors, **human**."_

_Yui flinched; she hadn't even heard Reiji's footsteps as he approached, and already he was right next to her. He pulled the door open all the way easily, so that he could see the visitor properly. "Reina."_

_Yui thought the name sounded familiar, but when she saw the smile on Reiji's face there could be no doubt. Was this the woman he was always writing to? She watched their interactions, a smile finding its way onto her own face, as she thought about how cute of a couple they made. "Reiji-san, is she your-"_

_"Don't be an idiot."_

_She kept her mouth shut at that, choosing to watch them instead. Both gave off a rather elegant vibe. Especially the woman, with her hair done up just so, her brown-grey peacoat hitting the center of her thighs in a way that accentuated her legs. And, Yui noticed, a rather expensive looking pair of ankle boots that had a bit of a heel to them. Though one would have never guessed, the way she walked so easily in them. Yui found herself feeling a small bite of jealousy._

_Even more so, when the woman ran straight into Shu's arms. Her stomach churned, as she watched Reina interact with all of the brothers. They all seemed to get along. Yui was glad to see it, since the brothers were always so morbid all the time, but she couldn't stop this strange burning that was beginning to consume her chest. The woman introduced herself formally, and they shook hands, and then, this woman sampled her blood._

_Yui should have been used to it by now, having her blood taken. But the only one to have ever done so was Shu. Well, save for that one day, when the triplets had all taken her at once. She didn't remember much of it, having passed out shortly after. But Yui knew that Shu must have put an end to it, because none of the brothers ever tried to suck her blood again after that. She didn't know exactly what had happened, but at the same time, she didn't really want to know in the first place._

_Only now, here this woman vampire was, taking her blood, and not a single one of the brothers was protesting. Kanato had even been the one to suggest it. And then, when this beautiful woman disappeared upstairs with Shu…Yui felt…_

_"Spineless bastard doesn't even have the decency to give a proper greeting."_

_"Huh?" Yui looked up at Reiji, returning to the present moment._

_She felt an arm wrap around her shoulder, and from the furry collar that brushed her cheek, she knew it to belong to Laito. "Reina's engaged to Shu. And Reiji's mad about that because he wishes it were him instead."_

_Yui nearly fainted. They couldn't be serious. That was wrong. It…it **couldn't** be. Shu was…_

_He'd…kissed her. They had… **kissed.** He would hold her until he fell asleep. Tease her to no end, he'd make sure that she was by his side for as long as possible. He'd take her blood and sigh in satisfaction. She was…to him…the two of them had…_

_Had she been acting as a substitute? This whole time, had he thought nothing more of her? Tears welled in her eyes at the thought. Perhaps she should have guessed it, that he would have used her in this way. He had used her in every other way imaginable, after all._

_Yui didn't know when she had begun to walk away from everyone else, but she realized that she was almost at her room. When she got inside, she looked for her rosary, clutching it to her chest when she finally got a hold of it. At the very least, she was still a pure woman. She was tainted, yes, but she was not condemned._

_With shaky breaths she got on her knees, trying to steady her thoughts. She thanked God for providing her with this chastity, and promised to never again kiss a man she did not believe would be her husband._

_At this, the tears did in fact slip from Yui's eyes, falling in neat splatters onto her folded knees. That was just the problem, she thought. Somewhere deep in her delusional mind, she had actually thought of the possibility of Shu being her husband. The tears continued to fall. What was she hoping for? He was a **vampire.**_

_Even still, she couldn't bring herself to believe that Shu had simply been toying with her all this time. When he had kissed her, it had all felt so beautifully perfect. How could something, how could a feeling so perfect, be so completely broken?_

* * *

He'd fallen asleep, just as easily as he always had. He'd kissed her. There wasn't anything very remarkable about it. In fact, she almost wished he hadn't done so. It only made his feelings towards her that much more obvious. It was meaningless. There was nothing behind it, both from his side and hers. Reina sighed, leaving the room silently and expertly. It seemed as though nothing had changed in her absence.

Well, save for the human girl.

In fact, things might have gotten worse.

She continued down the hall, thinking she needed to speak to the girl-Yui, was it?- herself.

"Reina."

She stopped, turning around, though she did not need to see his face to recognize that voice. "Oh!" she smiled at those sad red eyes, "Hello, Subaru."

"How was your trip?"

"It was quite lovely, thank you."

He nodded.

"How's Christa?" she asked.

"She has her good days." He said softly.

She nodded understandingly. "It's been years since I've been to the castle."

"Not much has changed." He informed.

Again, she nodded.

"You…you should know…" Subaru began awkwardly, "Shu and…the human girl…"

She smiled sadly, "I had figured as much," she responded, "Like father, like son, as they say."

Subaru cleared his throat gruffly, "It's not right…"

"I was sort of expecting it," she admitted, "I was gone for quite a while, wasn't I?"

She hadn't, really. She figured he might have a mistress eventually. But those always came after marriage, not before.

"How did that feel?"

"What do you mean?"

"Freedom."

She inhaled slowly. "Bittersweet. It's not real freedom is it? No matter what we all end up here…"

Subaru clenched his teeth, not bothering to respond. Reina exhaled.

"I have a few things I need to do, Subaru, if you don't mind."

He gave her a curt nod, letting her know that she shouldn't ignore Ayato for too long, or he'd start up with another speech about the grand and mighty 'Ore-sama.' She laughed and promised she wouldn't, before the two went their separate ways.

Reina didn't know if it was out of habit or not, but she did not go to her room, or even try to find the human, as she had originally intended. Instead she found herself outside of Reiji's new lab. Well, not exactly new to anyone other than her.

She knocked politely, excusing herself. "I'm sorry for intruding like this."

Hearing her voice again was like something out of a dream. She'd returned three years ahead of schedule. Of course, he was…pleased...to have her back, but the fact of the matter was that he had not prepared for it. He'd run out of time without knowing it. When she got back he wanted to have a clean slate, not to again meet her with this cursed and toiling failure that consumed his very being.

He'd wanted to meet her as a man who had finally succeeded.

How poignant of her, to arrive at a time like this. Just this morning he had considered destroying every single piece of his collection. But now here she was, wearing that same pleasant smile, the teacups she'd never laid eyes on not ten feet away. But from where she stood, at that strange angle, they'd be impossible to see.

He wanted her to see.

"It's quite alright," Reiji said, adjusting some of his poisons, "Please, sit down."

She nodded and smiled, taking her seat, her back to the cabinet. Reiji felt strange about it.

"It seems I only ever come to you when I need help." She laughed sadly.

"I've told you before, it's of no trouble. What has my kin done now?"

She looked down, that fragile smile still on her face. "I haven't said anything and you assume it's about him."

"Isn't it?" he asked, mixing some chemicals.

"That human girl…the bride…she's chosen him, hasn't she?"

"In a manner of speaking."

Reina looked around the room, trying to focus her thoughts. "I think he might…I believe he might have feelings for the girl." She added softly.

Reiji carefully set his vials down, and went to sit across from her. "That would explain some things." He said slowly, "Have you come to me for poison? I have quite a few things that would eliminate them easily-"

"Reiji," she scolded, "You know I could never…"

He sighed. "Pity, that."

Reina looked at him. "The girl. She smells like that woman. Even her blood…"

"If you've noticed it as well then there can be no doubt."

"Is it possible? Hadn't she died?"

"It is best not to make assumptions, in situations such as these. They never did find her heart."

Reina gasped. "But if she holds her blood then…"

Reiji sat in silence, waiting for what she would say.

She smiled sadly, "Then I really don't stand a chance, do I?"

"You are still the one engaged to him." Reiji offered.

Reina blinked at him, her eyes tinted with sadness as though she hadn't heard him at all, "It's a strange feeling. Having everything you've worked your entire life for…slip through your fingers…"

Reiji cleared his throat, and asked her if she wanted any tea. She accepted, and he began to make his special brew.

"Mother would be so displeased." She sounded defeated, but her face was perfectly calm, the way only years of rigorous effort could achieve. Reiji said nothing, instead focusing on the boiling water before him.

"Your mother is no longer here." He finally spoke as he handed her a cup.

She glanced at him, "Neither is yours."

They sat in silence, quietly drinking tea.

"It was a lovely trip." She began awkwardly, unsure of what to say. "But I'm rather tired," she set the cup down, having hardly touched it, "I think I will turn in early, for today."

* * *

 

Reina got a horrible feeling, walking through the hallways. She didn't feel sick, exactly. It was just… _strange._

So Shu had found that someone. She wasn't sure if she was struck with envy or happiness. How would it work, she wondered. And how many more wives would he take after this? Karlheinz had only had three, but everyone knew that his Mistresses were infinite. She had always known it, grown up in it, should have been prepared for it, but the truth was, she hadn't.

And for a brief moment Reina felt herself sympathizing with Cordelia.

She sighed, flopping rather ungracefully onto her bed, consumed by a feeling that could be described as nothing but emptiness. She closed her eyes. What would she do now?

At the very least, she could still provide him with an heir. Her children would carry on the family name. And that, at least, was something.

"How was your trip, my dear?"

The voice was one that needed no introduction. Reina's eyes shot open, "Oh! My lord!" she scrambled to get up, "Forgive me I wasn't expecting-"

"There's no need," he said kindly, "I do hope you enjoyed yourself."

"Yes, my lord. It was quite an experience." She smoothed out her shirt, standing before him politely.

"I'm sure," he began, pacing about the room, "By now you have noticed the sacrificial bride."

"Yes, she seems rather different from the rest, based on the letters I've received."

"She has chosen my eldest son."

Reina felt her stomach lurch. "Y-Yes…"

"I would appreciate it, Lady Sampson, if you did not interfere."

"My lord?"

"You will always be welcome here, of course. But in order to achieve the greatest outcome, it would be best if you let it be. Perhaps you could do more traveling."

Her heart pounded. What was he saying?

"Forgive me, I'm not sure I understand." She managed to voice her words in the most respectful tone possible.

"The first wife, my dear, has to be her. I'm sure you understand. Her blood is unmatched. Shu will become the strongest of us all, and in turn, pass this strength along to their children." Karlheinz's voice was smooth, disgustingly sweet like honey in the bitter tea she had always hated.

Reina stood frozen, and from the sympathetic smile Karlheinz greeted her with, she assumed that he was able to read her expression all too easily.

"Oh my dear," he began, caressing her cheek and making her flinch, "Surely you know the second wife can carry just as much weight as the first. Order is quite arbitrary."

The second…wife.

Just as Beatrix had been. Just as Henrietta had been. Had this been her fate all along?

"Yes," she replied, licking her lips, "Yes, I'm quite aware."

"Have a good night, Reina dear." Karlheinz hummed in satisfaction, disappearing into what felt like thin air. Though in actually, he must have left through the door, and Reina had been simply too lost to process it.

_Do you think you're irreplaceable? I didn't think I had raised such a conceited daughter._

She had always known it.

She had just never considered it.


	20. Chapter 20

She burst into his room, not caring, not giving a single _damn_ when the door slammed shut behind her _._

"Is that it then?"

"You're so _loud."_ He murmured.

She clenched her fist, striding up to him and ripping out his earphones, tossing them to the floor. "I know things weren't the best between us. I'm not blind. I _know_ that Shu but I was trying. I tried so, so hard-"

"Because leaving is trying."

"You left me no choice! To go every day without…Shu…I was suffocating."

"Would it have killed you to stay?" he countered, "We would have been married soon enough. You promised you wouldn't leave me. How are you any different from-"

"Don't you _dare."_ Her voice was ice cold, sharpened and chilled. "I am _nothing_ like that human. Which, need I remind you, was _years_ ago. Shu," she scoffed, "We're immortal! What were you honestly expecting? It would have happened regardless." Tears welled in her eyes, mostly from frustration, "For you to give up on everything, to throw away _everything_ , f-f-for a _boy_ , some human you didn't even…How are you supposed to rule as King if something as simple as that was enough to knock you down? Did you not think of me at all? The burden I had to carry?"

"Selfish _and_ heartless, then. What a woman you turned out to be."

"Shu for once in this godforsaken life will you just _listen_ to me!" she shouted, and really, it seemed to be enough to get to him, because he sat perfectly still, staring at her in silence.

The tears fell freely from her face now. "You don't have any idea what it's been like, for me. You never asked, so I didn't say. But my entire life I've been conditioned…I always thought…Shu everything I ever had…all for," she choked, "for a man who does not love me." She swallowed, and he said nothing.

"The _second_ wife," she scoffed, "An afterthought. After everything-"

"So he's told you, then. Do you think you're the only one who was conditioned to this life?"

Reina couldn't stop her tears. "It's fine, Shu. It's not exactly that I fell in love with you. Or you with me. We both knew that. And if she makes you happy then…then I suppose that's enough but I-"

Reiji and Ayato entered, just then, having heard the commotion. "Oy! The fuck is going on?"

"For you to be shouting like some sort of animal..." Reiji shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Upon seeing her tears, Ayato quickly jumped to her defense. "The fuck did you do to her you stupid ass-"

"Please don't touch me." She said softly, dodging his hold.

Ayato stopped his hands mid-air.

"How convenient," she began, turning her back to Shu and facing Ayato and Reiji instead, "For the two of you to have kept so quiet in all your letters."

"Reina-"

"No." Her voice had never carried such a sharp bite; even Reiji had to stop talking. Only, her shoulders began to shake, her voice following, "I never…I always… _always…"_

Reiji nearly ran to her, nearly embraced her, but Ayato beat him to it. And it's a good thing he did. For Reiji to have done so instead would have been problematic at best.

"Onee-san." Ayato held her tight, then glared at the other two brothers. "Oy. Get out."

For the first time in a long time, Beatrix's sons both agreed to the same thing.

The moment the door closed, Reina broke into sobs. Ayato didn't let go. "You're fine." He said, his throat dry. She trembled in his hold. "You don't understand. I have nothing. N-No family. My name carries no weight. The Sampson line ended with me, Ayato. And now its only meaning is equivalent to a tramp."

"It's better this way." He said seriously.

She scoffed, "Ayato-"

"You're free now, aren't you? Go do whatever you want. Be whoever you want."

She looked at him with misty eyes, giving him a small shake of her head while she bit her lip in an attempt to keep the tears at bay, "I don't know who else to _be."_

"Now you're just being dramatic."

Her expression hardened, Reina stiffening in his arms. "Dramatic." She repeated, before brushing it off with a scoff, " _Dramatic._ Oh, do _forgive_ me, Ayato-sama. I didn't realize I was such an _inconvenience."_

"Onee-san-"

"No! No you're right! What is there to be worried about? Everything I've ever believed in, every structure and rule completely thrown away, but that's hardly any reason to fret. Yes, I see now. Shall we celebrate instead? Why not a wedding? I'll be that little human's flower girl. Ha! Ayato, can you picture it? How charming _that_ would be. Everything I've ever worked for. To be outdone by a human-"

He slapped her. Hard.

She froze, staring at the ground for three solid moments, before bringing a perfectly calm hand up to her cheek. She wiped away the stray tears, and then cleared her throat, before looking up at her brother. "Forgive me. I've acted most foolishly."

Ayato smiled, "That sounds more like you."

She let out a sad giggle, which was cut short by the door bursting open once more, Yui entering the room in a panicked flurry.

"You can't be in here." Ayato snapped sharply.

Yui ignored him, "If I had known that he was engaged then I wouldn't have-"

"Please, spare me your excuses." Reina said rather coldly.

"T-There must be something I can do! I can stay away from him if you need," Yui grabbed Reina's arm, eyes pleading, "It's not fair to you…I just thought that you were R-"

"Enough." Her voice echoed through the room, and she pulled her arm sharply to release herself from the human's grasp. "I don't believe a human has ever clung to me in such a way. You have no right to touch me. Until your wedding I still outrank you. Do you understand? One thing you'll need to learn quickly about this world is knowing your place. And right now, you are nothing more than food."

She might as well have carried out a death sentence.

"Chichinashi," Ayato said, granting Yui a warning, "Get out."

"But what about Reiji-san?"

"Oy! I said get out!" Ayato boomed, lunging for her, but Yui didn't need to be told a third time. She left in such a rush she didn't even manage to close the door behind her. Ayato fixed that with a slam.

As he turned back around to face his sister, he sighed. "She's right, you know."

"What do you mean?"

"The Megane."

"Reiji already knew about everything." She sighed, rubbing her head, "I need to go apologize-"

"Reina. That's not what I mean."

She blinked at him, thinking her name sounded foreign when he said it. "Ayato?" she asked almost hesitantly.

He clenched his fists. "Tch. Forget it. Just go, already."

She nodded briefly, before going to find Shu.

Try as she did she couldn't stop shaking. She had never lost her composure in such a way. She supposed everything had finally boiled over, exploding the way she had. But she needed to calm back down, now. There were certain things that needed to be addressed. She knew Shu didn't know how to handle any of it.

This all had to be done very carefully. The girl would have to awaken as a vampire, that was the first thing. And in order for that to happen Shu would have to…

Reina was actually rather surprised that he hadn't claimed her yet. He wasn't exactly one to take his time with such things. But perhaps it just meant that he really did care about her. She wasn't sure how to feel about that.

The girl herself wasn't so bad. Polite and with kind eyes. That was good. But her manners would need to be refined. Her posture was absolutely insulting. Reina knew the task to turn Yui into the first wife would fall on her. But, if there was anyone who knew just what it would take to fulfill such a role, it was Reina.

And if it was for Shu's benefit…

Reina sighed. There was nothing else she could do.

She finally found him in the music room, dozing on the floor. Only, he wasn't really dozing. And he wasn't listening to his music either, since his headphones were still on his bedroom floor.

"Hello." She said, looking down at him.

"Hey." His voice was quiet.

He looked so young, just then. The way he used to, with his bright blue eyes shining. Reina nearly began to cry all over again. It had been so long since those eyes had shined.

"You love her," she said, realizing it herself as she spoke, "don't you?"

He sighed. "It's troublesome..." He seemed to be thinking it over, "But I suppose the feeling is similar."

She nodded.

"Did you think I'd wait for you?" he said, after a short while.

She smiled weakly. "No. Not really. But I never would have thought that…" She let out a sigh of her own, sitting down on the floor and then lying down next to him, her hands resting on her stomach. Shu eyed her curiously, finding the action strangely out of character.

"All I ever wanted was for you to be happy." She admitted.

"I know."

"Did you really, though?"

He swallowed. "I did."

They laid in silence, staring up at the ceiling. It wasn't much of a view, the blinding white almost dizzying. Reina bit her lip, "Do you remember, long ago. There used to be a small clearing in the forest by the castle. You'd take me there, and we'd sit just like this, and stare at the stars."

He turned his head to look at her, finding her eyes to be misty, but free of tears.

"I remember." He said.

"I hope you'll do that for her." she told him.

"Mm."

Reina let out a shaky exhale. "Five years is the acceptable amount of time to take on a new wife. I know Karlheinz broke that rule but he truly is quite the exception. I'll return to Europe so that you may enjoy-"

"Reina."

She cleared her throat. "Shu."

He sat up, and she did too.

"When will you admit that this is not what you want?"

She blinked at him, unsure of how to answer. "What I want has never been taken into consideration," she explained, "If you're happy then that's all that matters to me. And she seems to care deeply for you as well, so you'll be well taken care of." She smiled politely.

"I never meant to hurt you." He said seriously.

She smiled, "I know. We can't all have a happily ever after," she laughed sadly, "I've accepted that."

Shu raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure?"

She smiled a little sadly, shrugging her shoulders, "Who would want me? The Sampson name is not…"

His eyes dropped to the pearl on her necklace, his breath slow and even, "Can you think of no one?"

Her fingers followed his gaze and circled the bead, twisting it nervously.

Shu smirked, "Or maybe," he looked at her with those honest blue eyes, "You're ignorant to the fact that he loves you?"

Her heart stopped, and her hand dropped hold of the necklace as she shook her head quickly. "N-No. That's not possible. He would never…we're both-"

"Reina." His voice was stern, "You deserve to be happy too."

She blinked, considering his works carefully. Taking in a shaky breath, her fingers found the pearl once more, "Happy," she repeated, staring not at him, but rather, through him, "I'm not so sure I know what that means."

Shu smirked. "He's in his lab."

"Shu I-"

He waved his hand, falling back against the floor and shutting his eyes. "Get out of my sight, Miss Sampson."

Her mouth went dry, her breath catching, "I-Is that a formal request?"

Shu smirked at that, feeling strangely nostalgic about it all. "An order, actually."

Her heart raced fast and quick, as she got up off the floor as gracefully as she could manage, giving him an affirmative nod. "I'll be going, then. _My Lord._ "

"Took you long enough." He murmured.

"S-Shu?" she asked.

"Mm?"

"I really hope you'll be happy."

He reached up, offering his hand, and she took it in her own, tears threatening to fall from her eyes again. "Keep your promise, ok?"

She nodded, sniffling a bit, "You keep yours."

He gave a small smile, closing his eyes with a yawn. "A good husband."

Reina shook her head, letting out a soft laugh. "A good wife."


	21. Chapter 21

It was not often, that Reina ran. But she decided that it was important to make an exception every now and again. Only, she stopped short of his door, collecting her breath, patting her hair and assuring it was still in place. She knocked politely, before entering the laboratory.

Reiji was at his desk, arranging a variety of papers, not bothering to look up. "Have you calmed down, then?"

She smiled politely. "Yes, I wanted to apologize for earlier."

"It was to be expected." He replied mechanically.

She nodded.

For a long while neither said anything. Reiji cleared his throat, "Was there anything else?"

Her heart beat fast against her chest, her voice suddenly refusing to work. It had been so long since she had last seen him, and yet, it didn't feel like much time had passed at all. Suddenly just being in his presence made everything feel as though it had gone back to normal.

He had always been there.

Through the beatings, the casual novel reading. He'd taken care of her the night she stupidly (and unknowingly) drank vampire juice. He'd provided her with a tea she could savor, so that she would no longer be forced to suffer through formal gatherings. Reiji had aided her in French, taught her how to make takoyaki for Ayato despite the countless times that Reiji insisted Reina had 'mediocre culinary ability.'

She walked around the small lounging area, leaning against the couch for added support. "Well, you see," she straightened herself, finding her pose a bit strange, and stepped closer to the desk, "I…Reiji I was wondering if-"

She was stopped mid-sentence, the sparkling cabinet catching her eye. She couldn't help but be drawn to it, her legs leading her to it of their own accord. Rows and rows of teacups lined the shelves, all intricate in their own right, all in pristine condition. It was the most beautiful arrangement Reina had ever seen.

_It is important to have a passion of some sort, with a life as long as ours._

Reina had been on the verge of tears far too many times to count today. All this time…

After everything he had already done for her, he had gone so far as to—

"Do you like it?"

His voice came from behind, and she could feel his heat—how absurd for him to have _heat—_ melding into her own. In the glass Reina could see their reflections; transparent, almost indiscernible figures, side by side.

"You…" she took a breath, "You really did it…" her voice trailed off.

Reiji said nothing.

"They're lovely." She told him, a small smile tugging at her lips, her chest about to burst.

In the glass, Reina saw Reiji nod. "What is it you came here in such a rush for?"

She turned around to face him.

Slowly.

Hesitantly.

With a brave inhale she gazed into those ruby-purple eyes that always seemed to read her all too easily.

She swallowed, "Reiji I…I know what you're going to say," she bowed her head, "I know it's not quite practical, is it? But things like these aren't supposed to be practical, I think. I know I've read too many romance novels. _You_ know I've read too many." She took another short inhale, "But despite that, I need you to understand that I am being completely honest."

He gave her a brief nod, motioning her to go on.

She thought she might faint, the way her heart was pounding. "I love you," she blurted rather unceremoniously, nearly covering her mouth as the words spilled from her lips, "I-I know that's sudden. Out of place, even. But I think that perhaps I've loved you my entire life and simply never quite been able to…Reiji when I see those teacups I can't help but think…" she licked her lips, biting them nervously, laughing softly as a result of her nervousness, "If you'll accept me..."

She watched as his eyes widened and he took a step back. She held her breath, smiling timidly, feeling the blush rise to her cheeks.

Reiji had never seen her carry such an expression. Those eyes. Those big, beautiful brown eyes. Looking so hopeful, so bright…looking…at him…

He'd never seen her smile…like that…

But it was no good. What did he have to offer? Someone who was nothing but a failure and a fraud. And for her to say such a thing so suddenly was completely unacceptable. How could she be so brazen about it? Was is simply because she could no longer…

No. That expression was far too honest. And he had already taken far too long to reply. His hands were shaking. He prayed she didn't notice. Here she was, this Queen, declaring her love to a man like him. He didn't deserve it.

"I'm sorry."

He didn't know what he had said. The words tasted foreign in his mouth. But it was what had tumbled out first.

Reiji watched as her smile quickly faded, her eyes darting all over his face in fading hope. The dazzling happiness that had claimed her expression moments ago was now being replaced by her polite outward appearance, which he'd seen her master over the course of many, many years.

"Ah, forgive me," she folded her hands in front of her and quickly glanced down, "I've spoken out of turn. Please forget what I've said."

Reiji's chest clenched. _No._

Reina inhaled deeply, for whatever reason feeling as though perhaps she had lived too long a life for no reason at all. "Actually, Reiji-san, I needed to inform you, she began, rather formally, "Shu and Yui will marry soon. I'm sure you're aware of the established time frames. Therefore I think I'll return to France. I did enjoy my time there." She glanced down, but quickly glanced up again, clearing her throat "I'll visit, of course. You're all family to me." She stopped herself, "Forgive me. Once again it seems as though I've said a plethora of words when three would have worked just as well." She made to leave, and for a moment, Reiji watched her walk away.

But she didn't even manage three full steps.

His limbs seemed to move on their own, the way his legs lunged out, and his hand grabbed her wrists, his frame bending at the waist, as though he were bowing before her. He stared at the ground, shaking, his hair in his face and his grip tight on her arm.

"I cannot forget." His voice was hoarse.

She hesitated. "Reiji-"

"I have waited a lifetime for those words. Therefore I apologize, but I will not forget."

Slowly, he lifted his head, terrified of what he might see.

He was met with sparkling eyes, due to the tears that lined them, and Reiji found that this raw expression was perhaps the most appealing one she had ever worn. Without a single warning she let out a short laugh, throwing her arms around his neck, sniffling into his chest, holding onto him as though she were afraid he might vanish. Though he was a bit startled, it didn't take him very long to react, quickly embracing her in return.

Her hair was against his cheek, that enchanting scent fogging his mind; her warm breath on his shoulder, these small hands wrapped around him. He wanted to kiss her. Her head and face and cheeks and hands and her everything, until he could be granted a taste of those lips that had breathed out the words _I love you._

But he held himself back, indulging in the simple fact that she was currently in his arms.

And for now, that was more than enough.

They didn't pull away from each other for a very long time, and when they finally did, it could hardly be called separation, the way his hands were still at her waist, and hers around his neck.

Reiji cleared his throat, bringing a hand up to her necklace. "Years ago," he said, turning the bead over in his hand, "You wanted to know why I chose this."

"So you finally admit that the gift was yours."

He glanced up at her, nearly smiling, before returning his gaze to the fragile gem.

Reina's skin was on fire; she'd never seen such a look in Reiji's eyes, his voice making nervous jitters dance through her body, anxious for what he might say next.

"To love or have loved, that is enough. Ask nothing further."

She nearly gasped, everything becoming clear. It was perfectly obvious, and yet it was so subtle that it was no wonder she'd never though of it before.

All this time...

Reina inhaled, smiling stupidly. "There is no other pearl to be found in the dark folds of life." She finished, scoffing and shaking her head before burying her face in his chest once more, this time not bothering to control her sobs.

"Reiji, you..." she squeezed him, whispering " _Baka_."

He held her tightly, thinking that perhaps that was the most accurate description of himself anyone had ever given.

She pulled away again, laughing a bit, and Reiji wiped her tears with his thumbs. He wondered if it was even allowed to feel this way. His chest was swelling, and it _hurt,_ but at the same time, it was euphoric.

This happy pain...

It was something he could get quite addicted to.

Reina had to bite her lip to keep her smile from getting too big. She was blushing like mad, she knew. But she couldn't really help it. She looked around the room, trying to distract herself with something, _anything_ to get her mind off of Reiji. Because if she continued to look at his face then she was afraid her heart really might give.

"This is a nice room. You must get a lot of work done here." she said with a clear of her throat.

Reiji nodded, "It's suitable, yes."

She smiled, looking off to the side, noticing the little vial that rested on his desk. She dropped her hold on him, and Reiji reluctantly did the same.

"Is that one of your elixirs?" she asked, pointing.

Reiji stiffened, beating her to the desk, walking around and putting the drug on his pocket. Reina picked up one of his papers to get more information, but he quickly snatched it from her. "These are my personal things, Reina."

But she had managed to read a few things. A resurrection drug. Was such a thing possible, she wondered.

"Reiji…are you planning to bring someone back?"

"My, how rude of you." he teased, gathering the papers in his hands and straightening them against the desk.

"Forgive me. I'm simply curious."

"It's none of your concern."

Slightly taken aback, she furrowed her brow, "This is no small matter Reiji-"

"The drug is simply for experimental purposes." He replied easily.

Reina swallowed awkwardly, but nodded her head regardless, becoming increasingly anxious at the fact that she had caught the name 'Beatrix' scribbled across the notes he was now putting away.

* * *

 

Yui clutched her chest, the sudden shudder causing her body to jolt in a way that could not be considered normal. She clenched her jaw, sweat lining her forehead, her heavy pants weighing her down, her vision blurred. She didn't know if it was because she was crying or that the anemia was making her see things. But this felt mcuh too surreal to _just_ be anemia. This was something else entirely, the way her heart pounded like a drum, resonating in her chest as though it were a gong.

Perhaps she was dying.

She tried to call for Shu, but her voice cracked at the end, morphing into something she did not recognize.

What followed was, in a word, darkness.


	22. Chapter 22

When Yui woke up, she could not move. Well, her body _was_ moving, but she had no control over it at all. She wondered if maybe she was having some sort of fever dream. Unable to do anything about it, and feeling outside of her own skin, she walked through the now-familiar hallways of the mansion, entering some strange rooms she didn't quite recognize, until she was out in the garden, coming across a bloodied white rose. She wanted to reach for it. Surprisingly, her body obeyed, bending over so that her hand brushed over the blood, staining her fingers. When she stood back up, she came face to face with a man she had never seen before. He wore a sad expression, tired and melancholy.

"Cordelia." he breathed.

Yui wanted to tell him that that was not her name. That he was mistaken. And really, she wanted to ask if he knew the Sakamaki brothers, and how he had gotten into the garden, and if he knew anything about this curious rose. But her mouth did not allow it, and as the clock stroke midnight, Yui's heart clenched and twisted inhumanly, with such a pain that Yui had to clutch her chest, the rose falling to the ground.

Her vision blurred before clearing once more, the strange man staring at her intently.

"Richter." A voice that was not Yui's own parted her lips. And that was the last thing she heard, before slipping into darkness once more.

…

Reina shifted in her seat as she waited for Reiji to finish up the tea. She smiled politely when he handed her the cup, and blew on it in the most ladylike way possible as she took her first sip. It was delicious, as always. She made a point of telling him so. The conversation continued in a rather flat manner, neither of them saying anything of particular interest. Which was truly unsettling, considering the confession that had happened moments ago.

But something had a hold of Reina's throat that she couldn't quite place. She wouldn't be able to describe it. Just a certain _feeling_ that hadn't been there since…

She cleared her throat, shaking her head slightly while taking in a sharp inhale. Something wasn't right. And it had nothing to do with what had happened only minutes before, though that was equally unsettling.

It didn't take Reina very long to understand what Reiji was doing. He had always admired his mother, arguably to a fault. But things became rather… _tense_ towards the end. If Reiji were to bring her back it was certainly not to make amends.

"Reiji," she began, setting down her teacup, "Your mother-"

"I will not speak of this now, Reina." He was not looking at her, instead was organizing one thing or another at his desk.

She took in a small inhale, suddenly overcome with a great sadness as the words spilled out of her mouth without thinking them over properly. "You killed her…didn't you?"

The shuffling of his papers stopped, and Reiji stiffened, setting them down carefully. "And if I did?" He refused to look at her.

Reina folded her hands in her lap, choosing her words with more precision now, "Is that not enough?"

He didn't say anything for a long time. She wondered if perhaps he'd strike her suddenly, the way he was frozen still like that. "It's not so simple." He said casually, as though they were discussing something structured like arithmetic.

"But you bested her," she countered, "Surely that's enough to-"

"You are out of line, Lady Sampson."

Her body nearly jerked with surprise, upon hearing her address her in such a way. It was more than just a warning, and she knew better than to pry further. She cleared her throat. "Forgive me, Reiji, I only meant to-"

The doors opened, just then, revealing the eldest Sakamaki brother.

"Yui's gone."

Reiji let out an irritated sigh, commenting on Shu's lack of decorum.

"Don't act like you don't sense this." Shu replied flatly, with a slight clench of his jaw.

Reina swallowed. This unsettling feeling…if Shu felt it too, then…

She winced. "She does taste… _familiar_ …but that'd be impossible. The blood of a demon, and the blood of a human girl-"

"It is unlikely," Reiji began, "But not impossible. If she has awakened as that woman," he let out a chuckle, "My, my brother. You certainly know how to-"

"Enough." Shu growled, "She's not here. She wouldn't be able to leave if she were still-"

"Find Ayato." Reina blurted.

Both men turned to look at her, Reiji with slight disappointment and Shu with slight curiosity.

"He's beaten her once," she said darkly, "And if it's her then I have the horrible feeling your Uncle isn't too far off."

"Fufu, Reina-chan was always _sooo_ smart~"

The group turned around, finding the redhead standing under the doorway.

"Laito." Reiji addressed through his teeth.

Laito sauntered up to his sister, twirling his finger around the loose strand of hair that was too short for her to tie up. "Richter was in the gardens, just now. I wonder what he could be doing, nfu…" he sighed, cupping the bottom of Reina's chin with his fingers, "Nee, Reina-chan, what an adventure this will be~"

She shook him off, making sure to look right into that piercing emerald gaze. "Laito, we have to-"

"I know, I know," he shook her off with a wave of his hand, giving a tired sigh, "But you better find Bitch-chan before it's too late~" he taunted.

Shu clenched his fists, though no one noticed.

"Mattaku. Going in blindly like this will not solve anything."

"I'll go get Subaru and Kanato. You two go find Ayato. Laito,"

Laito giggled, letting out a happy whine, "I've been waiting for this day…"

Reina gave the men a brief nod, before heading out, trying to catch Subaru's scent so as to find him quicker.

It didn't take very long, because he was looking for her too. They nearly bumped into each other, with Kanato trailing behind Subaru.

"Something's off." He began.

"It's bothering Teddy."

"Richter's here." Reina quickly informed.

Subaru's eyes widened, before he clenched his fists. "What's that fucker doing here?"

"If so then make him leave." Kanato ordered with a sharpened glance.

"We think that maybe the girl has," she paused, "Awakened."

Subaru said nothing, and Kanato held his plush close.

"Didn't you burn that bitch?" Subaru accused, turning to Kanato.

"Of course I did!" he screeched, "But her heart was gone when I got there!"

Subaru let out an annoyed 'tch' before tossing Reina his knife.

"Subaru?"

"We'll take care of Richter. You go get the human-"

Reina shook her head, "Laito is already-"

"Laito can't kill him." Kanato said softly, but managing to catch the other vampires' attentions.

"Heh. That little faith in him huh?"

"Laito can't kill him." He repeated, not looking at either of them, his gaze fixed somewhere in the distance.

Reina swallowed awkwardly, sensing that Kanato probably knew something that the both of them did not. "Then I'll check the roof first." she said, "She couldn't have gotten far."

Subaru nodded, before following after Kanato, who was already heading towards the room they had locked up long ago.

Reina was just about to head her own way, when she was stopped short. Someone was calling her name.

Following the sound, she realized it was coming from the balcony.

Reina steadied herself, clutching the knife close to her side, preparing for the worst. She was met with the human girl, who now dawned sharp green eyes.

"There's everyone's favorite princess!" The voice of that woman taunted, coiling around her ears like a snake, "Or, not quite a princess anymore are you? Fufu. Tell me, my dear. What does it feel like to be second best?"

"Get out of that girl's body, Cordelia." Reina replied dryly, ignoring the woman's words.

Cordelia burst into laughter, placing her palm over her breast in feigned amusement, "Get out? Oh my dear," She looked at her with a pleasant smile, cocking her head slightly to the side, "No."

Reina's grip tightened around the knife as Cordelia came closer.

"You always thought yourself so high and mighty, barking orders the way you are, nfu. But it's good to see you knocked down a few pegs. Truly. I've enjoyed seducing that pretty boy of yours."

"Shu has nothing to do with this." She countered, not dropping her stare.

"Oh my," she drawled, "Quite right. This is about you, after all nfufu. I like to finish things, you see. And after killing your mother it only seems fit that I kill you as well."

Reina flashed the knife, narrowing her eyes, "Watch yourself, Cordelia."

She merely giggled, bringing a delicate hand to her lips, "Is that supposed to be a threat? You can't honestly think something meager like that can kill me, do you? And even if it could, I'd take the girl with me."

Reina's grip tightened around the knife. Shu had finally found his happiness. She was going to make damn sure he got to keep it.

"You speak quite a bit for a woman who depends on a man to do everything. You say you killed my mother, but it was Richter, wasn't it?"

"Nfu. Wouldn't you like to know? Tell me, what makes you any different from me? You've depended on men your whole life-"

"I am nothing like you." She replied confidently.

Cordelia got a grin that made shivers run down Reina's spine. "Do you think so? That's amusing."

Reina said nothing, trying to take in steady breaths.

"You look confused, Reina dear. You've been leeching off our family as soon as your disgusting mother got the chance. Following after that pretty boy like a dog begging for attention. And then," she scoffed, shaking her head, "Running over to the second son the moment you're rejected, like some washed up whore."

Reina's eyes widened in rage, "That's not the same!"

"Isn't it?" Cordelia responded with raised eyebrows.

Reina could only blink. She wanted to stab her. More than anything else she wanted to plunge the knife through her heart and never have to face this horrid woman ever again. But she didn't know what would happen to Yui if she did so. Her hand shook, trying to push Cordelia's words out of her head. It wasn't true. The way she felt for Reiji was…

Well, perhaps she had realized it suddenly. Rather late, if she were being honest. But that didn't mean-

"Oh, you poor darling. Are you realizing it? Tell me, you are, aren't you?" She laughed again. "You're just like me."

"I'm nothing like you!" without thinking, Reina lunged forward, aiming to stab her once and for all, but either Cordelia had read her movements or functioned on her demon instinct, because she dodged it easily. Reina made to try again, but Cordelia grabbed the hand that held the knife, pulling with such force that Reina nearly fell forward, her ear pressed against the woman's lips.

"You're right," Cordelia breathed, "I'm stronger."

Reina didn't feel it. Rather, she only knew she had been stabbed because she happened to see that the end of the knife was sticking out of her stomach.

"Shame on you, Lady Sampson." Cordelia's voice made Reina look up, "What would Shu have said if you scratched his new favorite toy? Nfufu."

Reina looked down at her stomach again, trembling hands trying their best to remove the knife. Everything felt numb, while her ears started to ring.

She fell to the ground, only then realizing that the ringing in her ears was actually Cordelia's scream, or maybe it was both, or maybe there was no sound at all, she didn't know.

Everything…felt so…


	23. Chapter 23

Reina found it rather curious that the only thing she could really say she wanted at this moment was to hold Reiji's hand. It was really rather absurd, considering all the other things she could have wished for, given the circumstances. But, she thought, if Reiji were here, then somehow, everything would be fine. He always managed to…

She closed her eyes, trembling slightly. So many years without realizing her own feelings. Of not being allowed to. To have it all end like this. With a simple wound to the…

Ah, how foolish. Her chest hurt, and not from her bleeding flesh. Her hands were cold, fingers chilled. She couldn't help but think about how Reiji's were always warm, somehow or another.

How cruel, she thought, for it to all end in such a way. But perhaps her fate had never been a happy one to begin with. If Shu was happy, then perhaps her duty was done.

She was no longer needed, after all.

Cordelia was screaming. It was deafening. Reina couldn't exactly tell why, until she saw the blur of red hair.

"How many times do I have to fucking kill you!" Ayato drew back his sword, now stained ruby red. Yui's eyes faded again to pink, before she too, fell to the floor. Reina's eyes widened in horror at seeing the red spill from the fragile human. Ayato didn't give it much thought, rushing to Reina instead. "Onee-san!"

Reina groaned when Ayato pulled the knife out, letting it clatter to the floor while she panted. She didn't realize the weapon was still in her stomach until then. The red against her white blouse was blinding. But that hardly mattered now. What mattered was the human. "A-Ayato," she breathed, "Y-Y-Yui…"

"Forget her, Onee-san. I took care of it."

She shook her head, "S-Shu…if she dies then-"

Maybe Reina had never really known what would be best for the first born. But she did know that if Yui didn't make it, then Shu wouldn't make it. He'd nearly lost everything when that boy died. If he lost this girl then…

He truly would be lost.

"Reina." Both Reina and Ayato looked up, meeting Reiji's horror-filled gaze. Behind him came Shu, who wasted no time falling to Yui's side.

Reiji bent down, dropping to his knees opposite Ayato.

It was strange. But suddenly, she felt calm again.

Reiji had never thought a little bit of blood would be able to terrify him so deeply. But the front of her shirt was completely covered, the fabric drowned, her hands stained. And yet, she had that _infuriating_ smile plastered on her face. This was…

He wondered if there was such a thing as hell. If this was his punishment. Perhaps he had been granted too much happiness. Perhaps he had not appreciated it fully. Had not appreciated _her_ fully. She'd told him she loved him. And he…a coward…

He never said it back.

It is said that life flashes before the eyes that look upon death. Reiji wasn't sure if this was something similar. But suddenly, he was remembering quite a bit.

How she had looked, just the same, the first day they'd met. A small, kind smile. A hint of insecurity that she dared not show, and hid quite well. How she had picked up his book for him, overwhelmed and stuttering, doing anything she could to hold up appearances. To impress the Sakamaki heir.

The first day he'd caught a glimpse of the bruise on her arm, cursing himself for not noticing it sooner.

How she'd looked when she first tasted his tea.

The way her eyes shined when she saw his collection.

That raw expression as she said she loved him.

"We'll fix this." He said, his mouth dry, thoughts sluggish. "Ayato," he looked up, "At my desk, there is a-"

"Reiji."

His chest tightened. He didn't like the way she'd said his name. It almost sounded like goodbye. And for a moment, he nearly refused to look at her. But he wasn't that strong, and so he gave in.

Like always.

He looked down at her, those brown eyes shining.

Like always.

"Give it to the human."

"What sort of fool do you take me for?"

"Are you some kind of stupid?! Like hell we'd save the _food_ over you." Ayato practically yelled.

Reina felt a sharp pain in her side, causing her to inhale quickly, her features crinkling in response.

"Reina."

"Reiji." She countered, her voice just as strong as his, despite the wound. "Haven't I lived long enough?"

"No…" his voice shook, "Not nearly long enough."

She had the gall to laugh, to _laugh_ even though he could _see_ the pain in those eyes that were darkening by the moment.

"Reiji." Ayato barked, seeming to snap everyone back to the moment.

"At my desk. The green vial."

Ayato nodded once, before disappearing.

Reina groaned, Reiji putting his hand over hers.

"If he loses her-"

"And if I lose you?"

She smiled tenderly, "You were always the stronger…of the two…" she laughed sadly, "I'd been gone for quite…a while in any case…so…"

"Reina-"

"It will be okay, Reiji." Her gaze became misty, and he knew that it was taking every last effort to keep her voice steady, "Promise me, you will save her."

"I cannot do that, Reina."

Reina could feel herself fading. What a strange feeling, that was. She wondered if this was what it felt like to be sucked dry. She assumed so. And suddenly, panic gripped her throat. As an immortal, she had never before considered death. There was so much she had not done. She would never know what it was like to kiss someone she loved. Never take long walks to nowhere with them. Never spend all night whispering simple nothings. Never…

She had wasted so much _time._

All for _nothing._

She licked her lips, finally deciding. It was for those very reasons Yui had to live, and not her.

She inhaled again, her eyes truly watering now. Though she was out of time, there was still one thing she _could_ do. And if it was the last thing she ever did, then so be it.

Her hand shook as she reached up, and Reiji seemed to understand her goal, leaning down so that she could cup his cheek more easily, "I never got to tell you," she trembled, and he had to hold her hand so that it stayed on his face. The tears that had gathered began to fall, "But I always thought you had…beautiful…eyes…" A few more tears fell before her lashes fluttered closed for the last time, Reiji's hold on her hand shaking without a single ounce of control. His mouth had gone dry, slightly open, his eyes wide and crazed.

She couldn't be gone. Not yet. He had to tell her that she _had_ told him, before. She had told him. He knew. He _knew._ He had to tell her that it was not he with the beautiful eyes, but _her._ Those brown orbs that glided endlessly over pages of books, that smiled kindly when her lips did not, that somehow were able to see through him. He had to tell her that he loved her. He never...he never said it. He had to tell her that he was a coward and so he _couldn't_ say it, even after her confession. Because she deserved better. That the teacup she loved most was broken, but that he would find her another. He'd do anything to get her another. Anything, so long as she would smile at him again. He had to tell her.

Wanted to tell her.

Needed...

He…

He…

"AYATO!"

Suddenly the triplet appeared, muttering curses and sticking the bottle under Reiji's nose. "You've got a fuck ton of shit up in that lab you fucking-"

Reiji ignored him completely, uncapping the vial and pouring the liquid into his mouth. With jagged and haphazard movements he grabbed the back of Reina's head, lifting it up before pressing his lips to hers. His breath caught at the feel of her soft flesh, but he pushed those thoughts away, making sure the serum went past her teeth. Once it had all drained into her mouth, he pulled away, shaking, waiting for those brown eyes to flutter to life once more.

One moment turned into two, and then into three.

"Why isn't she awake yet?" Ayato accused.

Reiji's chest clenched more than it ever had before.

A coward.

And a failure.

He swallowed the lump that had grown in his throat, his saliva rough and thick sliding down. "It didn't…"

"OY! Why isn't she awake yet?!"

"It doesn't work."

"What the hell do you mean it doesn't work!?"

Reiji blinked a few times, before standing up on shaky legs.

"Oy, Megane!" Ayato grabbed him by the collar, baring his fangs, "You fucking make it work!"

"I CAN'T!" He yelled right back, freeing himself from Ayato's grasp brusquely, and then tossing him to the side with surprising strength.

On the other side of the balcony, Shu cradled Yui in his arms, gently brushing some hair out of her face.

"I've never…seen you move…that fast…" she murmured with a smile, her eyes lidded.

"Shh…" His voice betrayed his steady hands, "Save your strength."

"I said I wouldn't leave…leave you…I'm…sorry…"

Shu swallowed. "You're not going anywhere. So don't…don't say anything else."

From behind Ayato was still struggling to get up, and Reiji had picked up the silver knife that had claimed Reina's life. He twirled it in his hands, the scent of her livelihood muddling his senses, the deep red that stained the silver blurring his vision. For a moment he thought he might cry. But was simply too numb for such a thing.

With chilling calmness he strode up to his brother, knife in hand, and with the same force that had knocked off Ayato, Reiji pried the older vampire away from the human.

Shu screeched for Yui, his back hitting the wall and knocking the air out of him. He scrambled; desperate, panting, eyes wide with horror and panic and everything else jumbled into pitiful _pain,_ but Reiji was already raising the knife. Shu'd never make it.

In one swift movement, Reiji slashed the knife down, Yui silent below him, her eyes wide with fear.

It was a clean cut, the blood sliding down Reiji's pale arm, and onto Yui's lips. She gasped.

"Drink it you fool."

She seemed too frightened to respond, but obeyed nonetheless, parting her lips so as to let the liquid fall into her mouth. Almost instantly she sputtered with new life, her wound closing and her eyes brightening.

Shu had finally managed to get up, now joining Reiji's side.

"Wh-What did you do?"

Reiji said nothing, licking his arm in as dignified a manner possible. "It was her dying wish." He replied smoothly. "My conscious is clear. And you, as always, are granted everything you desire. Congratulations, _Your Highness_." He added with as much bite as a broken man could muster.

Shu said nothing, but instead avoided Reiji's gaze, and fell to the floor once again to tend to Yui, who was still coughing, slowly regaining her strength.

Reiji turned, walking past Shu. Ayato was clutching Reina to his chest, rocking her back and forth gently, her blood staining the front of his shirt. "It's not funny Onee-san…d-don't play tricks like that… Y-You got me ok? You got me so…so just wake up already."

"Ayato. Let it go."

"But she can't-"

"Enough."

"Onee-san!"

"Give it up! She's gone!"

A hushed and somewhat pained laughter is what came in reply. "Always…so strict…Reiji."

He thought he'd gone mad. That he had finally snapped. He'd be shunned, forced to live in exile for hearing voices. But she was _there._ And she was _moving,_ slowly sitting up with Ayato's help. Or could it be, that on top of voices, he was hallucinating now, too?

"Reina! You fucking-" The rest of Ayato's words were muffled by Reina's blouse, his red hair buried in the crook of her neck.

Reiji licked his lips, still trying to decide whether or not any of this was real. He could merely be seeing things. It could all be a lie. He couldn't risk being so happy ever again or—

"Reiji."

It was enough to bring him to his knees.

Her face broke into a smile, tears lining her eyes with a forced laugh. Although her right hand was wrapped around Ayato's back, she extended her left, offering it to him. He took it, almost too quickly, his body jolting as he felt the familiar warmth from her small, tender hands. This was…real…

"You saved her." She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"We gave you the drug." Reiji corrected.

"AS IF WE'D DO ANYTHING ELSE!" Ayato grumbled angrily, right by her ear, making her grimace at the sudden sound. But her grimace was quickly replaced with a smile as she squeezed Reiji's hand, "But even still…you saved her."

He squeezed it back, perhaps a bit too forcefully, but he had never been good at such things. "R-Reina I…" his mouth went dry. How despicable, for him to be _stuttering_ at such a moment. But he had to say it. "I...you…" It came out in a rushed breath, all in a single exhale, and Reiji watched as those brown eyes widened and then creased around the edges, her lips shaping the most comely smile he'd ever had the pleasure of seeing. "Me too…"

 _No._ She'd spared him from saying any more but...why couldn't he...

Why was it so difficult to say?

"BAKA." Ayato growled at Reiji, still refusing to let his sister go, but Reina pried him away gently, leaning in closer to Reiji, and bringing over her other hand to brush his bangs out of his face. She laughed, a few tears slipping from her eyes as she pressed her forehead against his.

She was so close. Reiji could feel her breath on his lips. The way her fingers trembled against the back of his head. How her wet lashes tickled his own. If he leaned in, just a bit—

"Reiji."

The pair pulled away to see Shu, who was carrying a sleeping Yui in his arms. Reiji said nothing, standing up silently, and once he had done so successfully, offered his hand to Reina, who, with a bit of a struggle, managed to get on her own feet as well.

Shu cleared his throat, and with a deep inhale, muttered the words, 'thank you.'

Reiji raised an eyebrow, looking from his brother to the human girl he held, and then back to his brother. He gave him a brief nod as a response, and with that Shu made his way back inside, taking every care in the world to not wake Yui.

"She's been through quite a bit in such a short period. It's no surprise she fell asleep so quickly." Reina commented.

"You went through the same." Reiji said flatly.

Reina smiled, "But I am no human."

"Oy. Megane."

Both Reiji and Reina seemed to jump a bit, turning to face Ayato.

"Yeah, I'm still here." He said with an eyeroll, before grabbing the front of Reiji's shirt and pulling him down, "Don't fuck this up, got it?"

He let him go so suddenly that Reiji nearly stumbled back— _nearly_ —and without another word, he disappeared, leaving Reina and Reiji to themselves.

Reina looked up at Reiji, and then down at their hands, which were still linked. She cleared her throat, straightening her posture, "Ah, um, excuse me." She tried to pull away, but he held her hand in place, straightening his own posture.

"I am glad you are…here…" he grimaced at his words, trying to keep his breathing steady.

"As am I." She replied.

Reiji cleared his throat. "Perhaps we should speak, before we go any further."

Reina smiled, giving him a nod of approval, "Yes, that sounds reasonable." With an air of what could be described as relief, she laughed, "We rather jumped into things, didn't we?"

He nodded with a clear of his throat.

"Shall we, then?" she motioned with her hand to the gardens below.

"We should wait. You've only just-"

"Yes, I'm aware." She squeezed his hand, tugging him towards her gently, once again motioning with her free hand, "But," she said, "It's a beautiful night."


	24. Chapter 24

There was quite a bit of forest that surrounded the Sakamaki grounds, so Reiji and Reina didn't have much to worry about when it came to running out of space. In fact, as Reina looked out at the trees beyond her, she thought they might be able to walk forever. And yet, she felt hopelessly out of place, what with the blood on her hands and shirt, some of which was splattered on her pants.

"Perhaps I should have changed first." she said with a cringe. It wasn't until she spoke that she realized how quiet the two of them had been. And in the silence of the woods, her voice seemed obscenely loud.

Reiji looked down at her hands, before adjusting his glasses. "There is a lake just around here." he stated.

"Yes," she nodded, "That will do nicely."

They walked in silence, and when they got to the lake, Reina bent down, making sure her pants did not get more sullied than they already were. Dunking her hands into the water, she watched the red swirls leave her palms and mix with the liquid before fading and disappearing entirely. For a moment she simply stared at her hands, thinking of Ayato. How he'd return after being gone all day, drenched and soaked to the bone.

They'd all been through so much, at such a young age.

She didn't thank him properly. For any of it. When they got back, she'd have to thank him properly.

She got up slowly, her hands still dripping water. She cleared her throat awkwardly. Reiji would more than likely not approve of what she was about to do. "Ah, um, in Europe," she began, patting her hands on her pants, "This was rather common, if there was no alternati-"

He grabbed her by both wrists, and for a moment, she thought he might scold her. Their feet bumped clumsily as he pulled her up to him, his hands still on her wrists as he pressed his mouth against hers. The kiss was on the edge of her lips, his hands shaking around hers, her own hands beginning to sweat.

It was very...wet.

They pulled away timidly, clearing their throats. Both of them stared at the ground for two _very_ long moments. Her heart had never beat so fast.

"We should be heading back," Reiji said suddenly, turning around and beginning to walk, "You are still not well, and your shirt is-"

"Reiji."

He didn't turn around. "Yes?"

She took two hesitant steps forward, before reaching for his hand. "I am fine. Shall we walk a bit more?"

"You say that you are, but we are not yet aware of the effects of the drug. It would be best if-" He stopped upon hearing her hushed giggles, her small hand tugging at his. "Was it not you, who wanted to talk?" she asked.

"At a more appropriate time. There are-"

"Reiji."

He was beginning to get rather irritated at her constant interruptions. It was quite unlike her.

"I think now is best. I've grown tired of waiting. I've waited my whole life and…" she looked up, and seeing his blank face was enough to stop her. "Forgive me," she shook her head, dropping her hold of his hand, "You're correct. Perhaps this needs to be discussed at a later-"

"Reina."

"Yes?" she said instantly; hopefully.

"I, too, have grown tired of waiting."

She licked her lips, nodding slightly. "What does that mean then, for us?"

He swallowed, "I only wish I had a proper answer for you."

Reina shifted, "Everything was rather rushed, wasn't it? I know I probably surprised you with..." her voice faded into something he couldn't discern, "and the drug! You must have spent years...to have it wasted on me…"

Wasted?

"I know what it must look like," she continued, "That woman...what she said...I know that my words are failing me, at the moment. But Reiji I've been more happy in these past few hours than I have my whole life. Although, I do understand that these things need to be dealt with rationally. You've always taken care of me, Reiji-san. I would hate if my rashness forced you into anything. If your feelings are simply a projection of my own...I…" she paused, "I suppose what I'm trying to say is, if you need time…"

Reiji could feel his blood rush. Now would be the moment to say it. It was a simple enough phrase.

_I love you. I've loved you for the entirety of…_

But once again his words failed him. She was still speaking, though he could no longer make out the particular meaning. The blood rushing in his ears drowned out all else.

She was so beautiful.

The way the moon accented her pale features, her hair shining in the silver light. The way her lips moved to shape certain words, and the _sound,_ the gentle humming of her voice…

The pool of blood over her chest and stomach that was almost like a scream. He'd nearly lost her. _Had_ lost her, if only for a few moments.

This beautiful woman that he did not deserve. Who thought that he needed more time. Was becoming a rambling mess because of it. She'd always understood everything, surely she'd understand him now?

But it was his own fault. Because he hadn't said it when he was supposed to. Which meant that now...

He swallowed. He had to.

Because while he had always been hers, perhaps now, _finally,_ she could be his.

He found his body moving of its own accord, his hands circling her waist without him telling them to, his neck lowering down so that their foreheads were almost touching and his lips brushing over the sweet softness of hers. And in that moment he was…

Happy.

"Aishiteru."

He was met with wide, bright eyes. The kind he had only seen once or twice before. The kind he could drown in all too easily.

"Wh-wha-"

He kissed her again. He brought a hand up to the back of her head, his fingers weaving through her tied up hair. He deepened their kiss, this time with a bit more force, feeling stupid and happy and irritated at _just_ how fast his heart was racing, but if it was for her then-

"Aishiteru." he breathed, pulling away, but not really, resting his forehead against hers, "For longer than you could ever know."

Reina couldn't bear to look at him, the sharpness of his gaze cutting right through her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, which had been previously scrunched up against his chest. "You're going to make me cry." she murmured softly, resting her head on his shoulder.

"It was not my intention." he replied just as softly, his hand running soothingly over her back.

She laughed against his chest, and Reiji felt his heartbeat quicken. He willed it to stop its obscene pounding, convinced she could probably hear it.

"We're not very good at this, are we?" she whispered.

At this, he managed to relax a bit. "How very shameful," he mused, "We, who excel at everything."

"Quite preposterous." she replied, in a very serious tone.

"Indeed."

She gave him a small, shy sort of smile. "I believe the phrase is 'practice makes perfect'?"

Reiji stiffened, suddenly unable to look at her face, out of fear that she'd stop smiling. They stayed just as they were for a decent amount of time, with his arms linked around her lower back and her head resting against his shoulder. That is, until Reina began to pull away. "Shall we walk some more?"

He agreed, and they separated completely, save for their linked hands. It wasn't very long, however, before Reina spoke up again. "This feels a bit bizarre, doesn't it?"

For a moment he wasn't sure what she was referring to, until he caught her looking down at their hands, which she began to undo.

His heart caught in his throat. Maybe this was too much too soon-

She wrapped her arm around the crook of his arm, letting out a silent, yet satisfied sigh. "Somehow this is better."

A short chuckle escaped him, which both irked and pleased him. She'd always managed to elicit foreign responses from him, as much as he tried to suppress them. "I suppose it's not fitting for a Queen to hold hands?"

It was a subtle reaction, but he'd known her long enough to catch it; the way the edges of her lips curled ever so slightly upwards, a faint hue of color sprinkled onto her cheeks. "I'm no queen," she said softly, "And I've never wanted to be."

He cleared his throat. "You'd make a fine one, nonetheless."

She laughed at that, leaning in a bit closer to him, "If anyone were suited for royalty, it'd be you, Reiji-san."

"Being King has never interested me."

Reina glanced up at him, before nodding understandingly. But it did not change the fact that he still made a fine Prince, she thought, as she stared off into the trees.

"Do you think he'll do it?" she said suddenly, "Shu, I mean."

Reiji thought for a moment. "It is difficult to say. With the blood of the bride, he'd be strong enough."

"I suppose time will tell." Reina said with a nod.

Reiji looked down at her, agreeing. But it was here again that the red of her shirt caught his eye. His stomach lurched. "Perhaps we should begin to head back. I will have tea ready when you have finished washing up."

He was met with a smile, the kind that was all teeth. "Very well," she said allowing him to lead the way.

But they had not taken two steps, before she called his name.

"Yes?"

"I'm very happy."

He was smiling. It felt foolish, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Becausue for the first time in a long time, he was happy too.

* * *

 

Before Reiji had the chance to reach for the door, it was opened for them, Kanato staring at the pair expectantly. "It's about time you two get back."

Reina covered her mouth and nose, the oder that consumed the mansion far too familiar. Kanato simply giggled, smiling at them as though he were somewhere far away. "Nostalgic, isn't it? Laito wants to watch until every flame dies…"

Reiji's eyes widened. "It's still burning?"

"Fufu, of course. Until there will be nothing but ash…"

He never got to finish, because Shu entered the hall in a bit of fluster, with more determination and energy than Reina had seen in too long a time.

"You're back." he stated simply.

"We are." Reiji answered for the both of them.

Shu looked from Reiji to Reina, and focused his attention on her. "She's not awake yet. If anyone bites her I'll kill them myself." He was not speaking very loudly, but Reina had no doubt that everyone in the mansion had heard.

"Where are you going?"

"This ends tonight."

Her eyes widened with worry, "Shu," she reached for his arm, "You need to think about this carefully. Karlheinz-"

"Will be no match, for someone like me."

He shrugged her off, and Reina let go, shocked and strangely proud, but mostly filled with worry.

"Reiji-"

"Let him be, Reina."

She swallowed, "He'll die."

Reiji scoffed, pushing up his glasses, "My my, such a low opinion of the future King." Then, turning his attention to Shu, who was halfway out the door, "Do you think it wise, to leave at such a time?"

"I don't care."

"He'll be expecting it." Reiji countered.

Shu didn't bother to look at them, and instead turned his gaze the sky, getting ready to disappear. "He always has."

In moments he was gone from their sight, Kanato giggling and whispering about how exciting it would be if he died. "So much death in one day is so calming, ne, Teddy?"

Reina squeezed Reiji's hand, "I will tend to the girl."

Reiji gave her a curt nod, mentioning that he would make sure Laito did not burn down the mansion.

Reina clambered up the stairs quickly, and when she entered Shu's room, Yui was still sleeping, calm and even breaths making her chest rise and fall. Yui's shirt, unlike Reina's, was not coated in blood. She assumed Shu must have cleaned her up before departing. When he'd gotten such initiative, Reina couldn't definitively say. But, it was more than likely all due to this girl.

Reina sat down carefully on the edge of the bed. This small, fragile human that Shu had fallen in love with. She smiled. How very Shu-like. Going against any and all form of structure. "Do take care of him." she whispered to the girl.

To her surprise, Yui's eyes shot open, and she sat up with a gasp, panting heavily. "Wh-What?-"

"Calm down," Reina cooed, pushing her gently back against the mattress, "Do you know where you are?"

Yui nodded quickly.

"And that would be?"

"Sakamaki," Yui licked her lips, "Mansion."

Reina nodded, "Good. And do you know who I am?"

Again, Yui nodded, "You're Reina."

"Very good."

"Where's Shu-san?"

"He will be back shortly." she explained.

Yui looked around the room, as though she were still trying to get a hold of her surroundings, but she nodded with a heavy breath, "Where did he go? Why did he-"

"There are some things he simply had to take care of. But you have nothing to worry about. I will make sure you're not bitten."

Yui nodded hesitantly, looking at the blood on Reina's shirt, and then back up to her face. "You told them to save me."

Reina's eyes widened, before they shaped into a smile, "Yes."

"Why?"

Reina inhaled before giving her answer, "You looked like someone who knew how to be happy."

Yui swallowed. "But even still. I never wanted to get in between-"

Reina shook her head, "You've nothing to worry about. If anything, I have you to thank for Shu's revival, and mine as well."

Yui's eyes started to shine, "Then, you're happy now too?"

Reina bit the inside of her cheeks to keep her smile from growing too wide, "Yes. I am."

Yui smiled at that. "I'm glad."


	25. Chapter 25

_3 Years Later..._

Reiji awoke slowly, the light of the setting sun entering through the window. It was early. Resting on his chest, with his arm wrapped around her waist, was Reina. They would have to get up soon. But she looked so peaceful, that he could not bring himself to wake her. So he allowed her a few minutes, finding contentment in simply hearing her even breaths. But the sky was quickly darkening. With every care in the world, Reiji ran his hand up her arm, gently stirring her awake.

Her hands which had been flat on his chest curled up into small fists, making a small knocking motion, which Reiji had learned happened every time she woke up. It was a rather bizarre habit, but endearing nonetheless.

"Mmm...Reiji."

"Did you sleep well?"

She lifted her head, smiling up at him. "Most definitely."

He ran his fingers through her hair, his voice low and soft as he told her they should begin getting ready. She nodded her head in agreement, stretching and letting out a soft groan, before sitting up in bed, and then gracefully swinging her legs over the edge.

"I managed to adjust the issue with the flowers. It wasn't what she originally wanted, but it will do."

"She should be grateful nonetheless." Reiji replied strictly.

Reina smiled and shook her head, "Oh, Reiji. It's her wedding day."

"It is nothing more than a formal event required of the current king."

She smirked at that, leaning over to kiss his cheek, "I'll be out soon."

Reiji accepted the affection, tossing the covers off his legs to begin getting dressed himself. They had a complementary arrangement in which he bathed before bed, and she showered upon waking up. While she did so, Reiji would make their bed, and once finished, begin to get ready himself. Such was the same on this particular day. By the time he began buttoning his shirt, the shower had turned off. He took his time with the last button, eyeing himself in the mirror as he tucked his shirt into his pants. Adjusting the cuff of his sleeve, he heard the faint hums of Reina's voice, which let him know that she was fixing her hair.

It was always the same song, one he did not know, but had, by now, memorized the tune. Humming it to himself-carefully, so that she would not hear-he reached for his tie, and wrapped it around his neck. But he let it hang there, moving over to the bed to put his shoes on instead. The laces curled around his fingers in easy habit, the door to the bathroom opening just as he'd finished. He stood up, Reina not looking at him, instead heading swiftly to her vanity, struggling with one of her earrings. "Reiji-san," she spoke into the mirror, "Will you?"

He strode up to her, zipping up the back of her dress, her fingers lingering on the bare skin of her back for just a second too long.

But the lace was pleasant beneath his touch, and the deep burgundy was reminiscent of her blood.

"This is new." He stated.

"Naturally."

"It's very comely." He told her.

She smiled at him through the mirror, finally having adjusted her earring to perfection, and turned to face him properly, clapping her hands together once. "Shall I do your tie?"

It was something he could do well enough on his own. Something he _had_ done on his own, for an innumerable amount of years. But somehow, this had become part of their routine. One which Reiji did not mind at all.

Reina reached up to the collar of his shirt, tossing one end of the tie over the other, wrapping it around itself. He watched her do so, admiring her new gown. The lace wrapped around her arms, climbing up and following the length of her collarbone, shaping into a very shallow 'v' to mark her neckline. The fabric hugged her curves until just below her thighs, where it spread out loosely around her legs.

"We should leave soon," she said, breaking his thoughts, "I imagine she'll be needing a bit of encouragement."

"We will have more than enough time." He said calmly.

She smiled up at him, tightening the tie and adjusting his collar. "Yes, well. We never have been late before, have we?"

"Not at all."

She let the tie slide between her fingers, before she patted it gently against his chest, signaling that she had finished.

"Did the gift-"

"It's been taken care of." He assured her.

"Shall we go then?"

He offered his arm, and she took it, he dress swaying with each step.

Upon arriving at the ceremony, the pair made all the necessary greetings, addressing important Underworld figures, and eventually greeting the rest of the Sakamaki family.

They gave their congratulations to Shu, upon which Reina excused herself to go check on the bride.

It was all so reminiscent of her own wedding. The anxiousness, the flowers…

Reiji had never looked so handsome. Their ceremony had been a rather quiet affair, nothing compared to this current fanfare. But she didn't mind. She'd always been a great supporter of simplicity. Even when it came to their current home, the one which she and Reiji had retired to, upon the end of their celebrations. She'd been so nervous, that night.

...

_"It seems rather large for two people." Reina observed, as Reiji shut the door behind him._

_"I suppose," he countered, "But it is nothing compared to the mansion or castle."_

_She couldn't exactly argue with that, silently following his lead up the stairs to what would from now on be their bedroom. When they got there, it was Reina who opened the door, gasping in pleasant surprise at how everything had been arranged._

_"It seems the familiars already took care of all our belongings."_

_Reina smiled, turning to face the man that was now her husband. But she was once again, caught by surprise, as she was swept off her feet with very little trouble._

_"R-Reiji-san!"_

_"This is custom, is it not?"_

_Her cheeks burned, her arms wrapping around his neck with every shyness in the world. "Yes," she smiled, "It is."_

_He carried her to the bed, placing her down gently, her skirt spreading out over the edge, claiming nearly an entire half of the bed. He sat down next to her, careful not to catch the fabric of her dress, and cleared his throat._

_"Perhaps we should get some rest. It has been a long day."_

_She blinked rapidly. "O-Oh. Yes, of course. Are you tired?" her words fell out of her mouth much too quickly._

_He adjusted his glasses, refusing to look at her. "Not particularly. But I would imagine you to be."_

_"No," she shook her head, looking at him curiously, "I feel just fine."_

_She watched as Reiji ran his hands over his pants, "Could I prepare something for you? Food, or a bath?"_

_She smiled, looking down at her fingers on her lap. It was good to know that she was not the only one who was nervous. "I'm quite all right, Reiji-san." Her head quickly shot up, "That is! Unless you're hungry. Or...if you would like to take a bath…"_

_He cleared his throat, "Separately, of course."_

_She didn't know what sort of expression she was making at that moment. She hoped it wasn't too terribly unpleasant. "Oh. Yes. Of course."_

_"Unless...that is…" he cleared his throat again, and Reina figured she should reach out to him before she, too, lost her nerve. She placed her hand over his, which was still resting on his thigh, her heart racing and then calming at the familiar touch. "Will you help me?" she asked, "This dress is rather impossible to handle on one's own."_

_He gave her a quick nod, and they both stood up, Reina turning her back to him. She took a nice, deep inhale, her skin jumping as his fingers touched her back. But she tried her best to keep that all in. Reiji began tugging at the laces, slowly undoing them with careful patience._

_Reina swallowed, but really it was more of a gulp, the way her heart was beating so fast. And with the corset slowly being loosened, it only allowed her heart more room to pound._

_She rested her hands on the cream colored fabric, her fingers tracing along the gold swirls that lined the bottom of her skirt and worked their way up. It was intricate needlework, and it reminded her of the teacup she'd first taken a fancy in. How very foolish of her to not notice that comparison until-_

_The top part began to slide, and in embarrassed panic her arms went to catch the torso, quickly turning around so that she was facing her husband- **her husband** \- once more. "Thank you." she said quickly, losing every last trace of bravery she thought she had. But it seemed as though Reiji had worked up some courage of his own, because he walked up to her, taking her wrists in his hands, and pulled them away from the dress._

_As the bust slid down and bunched up around her waist, Reiji kissed her, sparing her some momentary embarrassment. But the kiss was short lived, and soon enough Reina was stepping out of the gown, with Reiji's hand as support._

_It was ridiculous, she thought. She'd done this before. So why was she so…_

_"You look beautiful."_

_She couldn't bare to look at him, debating whether or not it'd be rude to jump under the covers and never show her face again. "Reiji-san," she told the ground, "Please don't flatter me at a time like this..."_

_Picking up her dress so that it would not wrinkle, she let it hang freely over the armchair, trying to distract herself from the fact that she was wearing nothing but some of France's most provocative white lingerie, courtesy of one of her more... **fun-loving** friends. Perhaps this was a bad idea. She was not this bold._

_She began taking off her shoes, thinking he probably found her far too promiscuous, when she heard him clear his throat. She looked up, meeting his gaze._

_"Will you help me with my tie?"_

_She slowly unhooked the strap of her heels and nodded, walking up to him on trembling legs. She undid his tie in silence, but when she began to drop her hands, he held them in place, giving her fingers a brief kiss, and then telling her to do his shirt as well._

_Reina assumed it was only fair, since she had asked him to undo her dress._

_"So then, is this your true height?" he teased softly, his voice slightly different from his usual tone. She glanced up at him, fiddling with his buttons. "I've managed to deceive you for some time, it seems." she smirked back._

_He chuckled, but it was short and followed by a large inhale, upon which he pulled her in for another kiss._

_It was everything she'd ever read about and more. It was the butterflies in her stomach, the breath stolen from her lips, the heart fluttering and the ever so present happiness. And it was all so much that she couldn't help but wrap her arms around him, holding him as close as their bodies would allow. And she wanted…_

_"Reiji-san," she breathed, breaking the kiss._

_"Reina." he murmured back. His hands, though resting firmly on her back, were making her skin burn with a sort of fire and adrenaline Reina had never felt before._

_"I know this will seem old fashioned. But I was wondering if...we don't have to...but I was…"_

_He picked her up again, smiling down at her as he placed her on the bed. He climbed over her, his torso against hers, their legs brushing together. "I was wondering the same thing." he admitted, his forehead on hers._

_She smiled, Reiji noticing that though the blush had faded, it was still very much present in her lively cheeks._

_"Then," she said, "Together."_

_He lowered his lips to her neck, as Reina wrapped her hand around his, burying the other in his hair and positioning her lips just between his neck and shoulder._

_They both inhaled, Reina being the first to speak, "With this blood," she breathed._

_"For all eternity." Reiji finished, husband and wife granting each other their fangs._

_..._

It was hard to believe that it had been nearly two years, since then. Reina smiled to herself, thinking that Yui would soon experience something similar.

With a careful hand, Reina knocked on the door, before excusing herself for the intrusion.

Yui turned around with a large smile, "Reina-san!"

"Are you nearly ready?" Reina smiled back.

"I think my veil might be a bit crooked," Yui said, turning back to face the mirror, fiddling with her hair clip.

Noticing her trembling hands, Reina strode up to her, offering her palm, "Would you like me to?"

Yui swallowed, nodding quickly and then rubbing her hands against the skirt of her dress, "Yes, thank you."

"You seem nervous." Reina observed, pulling a bit of Yui's hair back, and adjusting the veil so that it would stay properly in place.

Yui continued to adjust her skirt, taking in short, fast breaths. "Um...well it's just...I don't know any of those people."

Reina put her hands on Yui's shoulders. "You know Shu," she smiled kindly, "And that's the only thing that matters."

Yui craned her neck to look back at her, "Y-Yes you're right. But even still...I always thought…"

Reina squeezed her shoulders. "It's a rather elaborate performance, I know. But you will be Queen soon. I suggest you save your nerves for the coronation and instead try and enjoy this moment. One only marries once, after all."

Yui took a deep breath, before agreeing with the older woman. "Are you sure this isn't too much? I would have been fine with something-"

Reina shook her head, walking over to the vanity to gather Yui's gloves. "I know not everything went as you expected it would, but there are certain formalities one must agree too. Despite it all," she explained, helping Yui slip on the gloves, "You look very beautiful, and Shu is a very lucky man."

Stretching out her hand to adjust to the feel of the glove around her arms, Yui licked her lips. "But what if something goes wrong? You were so composed. And here I am...I'm a mess. You must not think very highly of me."

Reina's eyes widened in surprise. "Not at all. It's perfectly natural to be nervous, at a time like this."

"Yes but I…" Yui looked up hesitantly, "Were you nervous, Reina-san?"

Reina laughed, folding her hands in front of her lap. "A silly question for a silly girl," she smiled, shaking her head and then taking Yui's hand. "Come, you shouldn't be late to your own wedding."

Taking a big breath Yui agreed once again, following Reina's lead. Once more, she felt an encouraging squeeze on her shoulder.

"Have you been drinking enough blood?"

"Shu has been hunting for the both of us."

"You will have to go out on your own soon. He will be busy with politics of both our world and theirs. But the good news is, tonight you won't need to worry about any of that."

"I will try not to."

"Think of the food," Reina told her, "There will be plenty of delicacies to indulge in. Humans are rather inventive with their food, after all."

Yui laughed, shaking her head, "It's not so strange."

Reina hummed, "To you, perhaps."

They walked down mostly in silence, until they had reached the large wooden doors that Yui thought looked impossible to open. Reina squeezed the younger girl's hands in encouragement. "You will be fine. Look at Shu. I think you'll find everything else becomes rather small in comparison."

The women exchanged a hug, and Reina entered the hall, taking her seat next to Rieji.

"She has three minutes before things will begin to fall behind schedule."

Reina shushed him, taking his hand in hers and shooting Shu an encouraging smile, who was standing with his hands in front of him at the top of the altar. He gave her a strict nod, and the doors opened to reveal a timid Yui.

The music began, and Yui walked down the aisle, bouquet in hand.

"A woman like that should not be wearing white on such an occasion." Reiji whispered into Reina's ear. She bit her lip, pinching his thigh to keep him quiet.

It was a grand ceremony, with no expense spared. And the reception was just as grandiose, a large banquet and elegant music echoing throughout the ballroom of the castle.

When the time came, goodbyes were said, but not without Reina and Yui exchanging another hug.

Reiji and Shu exchanging a very curt nod instead, shaking hands and making brief statements about one political thing or another.

"Don't worry about a thing!" Reina told Yui, finally handing her over to Shu, "We'll hold down the fort while you're gone."

Yui laughed happily, running up to hug Reina once again and assuring her that she would tell her all about their trip once she returned.

Reina waved as they departed, and it was only now that Reiji wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"We'll have quite a bit to do tomorrow." She told him, placing her hand over his so that she could link their fingers, their rings clinking together as she did so.

"It's to be expected." Reiji replied, giving her fingers a light squeeze, "After all," his voice dropped slightly, but still loud enough for her to hear, "We have always been, and forever will be, the pillars that hold up this Kingdom."

_Fin_


End file.
